Wave of Water
by Unchanging Queen of Magyk
Summary: Everyone has secrets, some bigger than others, some more deadly than others. When Ellie returns along with Charlotte, all secrets must be revealed...one way or another. The sequel to the awesome Flight of Fire.
1. Kill me tomorrow, please

**Heyy, I'm back and I'm giving you a mystery chapter. Don't worry, all will be revealed soon. If you haven't read Flight of Fire then I suggest you do or none of this will make sense. Please review so I can know what needs improving or more explaining. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 1. Kill me tomorrow, please~**

_Convict XC021 POV_

I woke up and felt blood on my bed. I sat up immediately and then wished I hadn't. Pain spread across my stomach—so that's what going into labour felt like.

My clothes were all neatly arranged on my desk so I changed quickly and looked back at the bloodstains on my bed. Hopefully I'd remember a spell to clean that up later. Rushing down the stairs, I yanked open my front door and then groaned.

"Please, people if you have to kill me, do it tomorrow."

I was surrounded by ten people, all ministry workers with their wands pointed at my face. None of them showed any signs of moving.

"No? Ok people I am going into labour and I know you're only supposed to be killing me and not my baby…although I'm still not sure why you're killing me either."

I shoved my hand into my jacket pocket, pulled out my gun and fired the bullets at them. The bullets didn't kill them, only stunned them, as well as any stunning spell. I was glad that I had bothered to go to Nocturne Alley before I was too pregnant to move everywhere.

Picking my way through the bodies, I walked to the end of the street and apparated into St. Mungos. Healers were moving in and out of the hospital too busy to notice me—a wanted criminal—standing outside their front doors. I walked in and stopped by the front desk.

"I'm having a baby."

The woman at the desk smiled at me like I was a stupid little child. "Of course."

"No I'm having my baby now! Do you people not understand that time is of the essence here?"

"I assure you madam that you're not having your baby right this instance."

"Well I assure you I am. I woke up covered in blood. Blood for goodness sake!"

"Ok madam let me get you the forms and then we can get you to a room."

A wave of pain hit me. "Please get this baby out of me. Do you have any idea who I am? What I'm capable of?"

I didn't like playing the criminal card but it seemed to be the only thing that got people to listen to me.

"Oh umm right this way."

_~XC021~_

I screamed out in agony. Sweat was dripping down my face and the loss of blood was starting to make me dizzy. I pushed again though, thinking of how much better life would once this was over. I only needed one more effort—I could feel it.

"Well done, the baby is crowning, just one more push, one more."

If I wasn't in the middle of giving birth then I would probably punch that woman in the face. I could probably kick her though. _CONCENTRATE!_ My mind yelled at me.

I forced all my energy into getting that thing out of me and finally with a lot of blood, I felt some sort of relief.

The baby, my baby, cried out. It wasn't a normal baby scream though—there was something quite unnerving there.

"Oh dear. Nancy! Nancy come quickly." The healer yelled for one of her support staff, still cradling the crying baby.

"What's wrong?" I asked, slightly hysterical. "What's wrong with my baby?"

_~XC021~_

_Freya POV_

I slammed an imaginary wall into him and it worked as well as a real one. He flew backwards across the ground, pinned down by an invisible force. I jumped over the banister and envisioned the landing being soft—it was. I shoulder-rolled onto my knees and paused for a second as the chandelier came crashing down onto the spot where I had just stood.

The glass shattered around me, cutting a huge gash in my arm. Anger surged through me and I picked up a shard and threw it at a point just below his left shoulder.

A baby wailed in the next room and I knew she must have been woken up by the sound of her parents arguing.

I ran in and skidded to a halt by the cot. I stroked down the side of her face and smiled, _you beautiful little thing_, I thought.

I yanked the necklace from around my neck and exploded it with my mind. Then I saw him rounding the corner and hunched over the cot. The thought that crossed my mind then was the single most powerful thing I had ever thought in my life. _Protect the child._

The ceiling began to crumble and the ground shook. More and more of the furnishings seemed to fall around me but it never touched her, never.

I pushed out further than I had ever dared before, locating Joreth and pulling him back into the collapsing building. The last thing I remember was his scream of anger and a shard of glass, whistling towards me and impaling itself into my back.

**Well, a lot of drama for the first chapter. Who do you think the convict is? Well only I know mwahahaha!**

**Hopefully the second will be up soon, as well as new links on my profile. **

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**Ella Bells xx**


	2. It's like fate

**Heyy it's chapter 2 and yes it has been a while. I'm introducing the kids in this chapter and I try to explain ther best I can about all the relations. If you're wondering which kids are whose then tell me and I'll put that at the top of the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 2. It's like fate is trying to tell me something~**

_Charlotte POV_

"So remember, no getting yourself sent home this year."

"Ok."

"No falling out of trees, or off of brooms, or towers, or getting into ridiculous amounts of trouble, or intimidating people, or pulling practical jokes. Got that?"

"Did you take a breath in that entire lecture?"

"Sarcasm is not appreciated, Lauren."

"Well the motherly lecture is not appreciated either, Charlotte." Lauren mimicked in a condescending tone.

"Get out the car before I get angry." I said, sending a little jet of water at her as a warning.

Lauren dodged the water and stepped out of the car. "Yeah love you too."

I watched her walk away and gave her a full three minutes head start before I switched off the engine and left the car. I slipped into King's Cross Station unnoticed and entered Platform 9 ¾. I stared at the place where George stood with his extended family and felt my heart pang. It should have been the four of us stood there, Fred, George, Ellie and I, surrounded by family, but of course that was never going to happen.

_Ellie POV_

Quite honestly, I wanted to cry but I didn't—I never cried. It was the first time since she had been in my care that Magenta would leave my side for more than a day and I wasn't overly motherly but I was going to miss her. She wasn't my child and whether or not she was my niece will always be questionable but I loved her all the same. Jess on the other hand I couldn't wait to get rid of.

"So remember, you can get on the team even though you're a first year, don't worry about lessons, they're simple and you can make friends with the Weasley's."

"Which is another way of saying don't make friends with the Weasley's." Jess muttered.

"Ignore her."

"I've been doing that for years." Magenta smiled. "What's happening for Christmas?"

"You're going wherever Luna and the twins are. You should go now and get the best compartment."

"There isn't a best compartment." Jess glanced briefly at the train that was pulling into the station.

"You should look for the one with me and Charlotte's names written on the windowsill."

"Why am I not surprised that you two managed to grafitti your names in a perfectly lovely train? Ok I'm ready to go, see you at Christmas." My little niece beamed up at me and I couldn't help but want to give her a hug.

"Oh eww, seriously, you don't hug people—ever."

I ignored Jess' comment and squeezed Magenta tightly. Then I let her go and kept an eye on her until she boarded the train.

"So Jess, you going to school today or do you have more important things to do?"

"I don't want to go to school this year. Make me go if you want but I'm only gonna fail anyway. It's not like going to school makes me happy."

"Fine get back to the car." I sighed.

As much as I wanted to get rid of my other niece, I knew how she felt. I'd be a hypocrite if I made her go back to school for an entire year if I hadn't seen my own classmates since I was seventeen.

Those same classmates were standing at the platform, waving off their own children, oblivious to the fact that this year, the girl with fiery eyes was returning. Even George didn't know that I was coming back, that I was ready to make my grand entrance.

_George POV  
><em>

First I thought I saw Charlotte and then I was certain that I saw Ellie. Granted I couldn't be sure that I had seen either of them, it had been so long that I wasn't sure what they looked like. Charlotte definitely had longer hair and her eyes had lightened to resemble her water powers. I didn't know what Ellie would look like, its not as though I had seen Ivy recently either.

"Dad?"

"Huh, oh Roxy, what were you saying?"

"You were telling me something that I needed to do?"

"Oh right…yeah…I need you to do the register, Fred's got a migraine."

"Only Freddie would have a migraine." She took the parchment and quill from my hands and tilted her head to the side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"For a second there it looked like you…you'd seen a…never mind."

"A ghost?" I offered. Roxy was like that, ever since she'd learned about my twin she avoided the use of phrases that involved death.

"Yeah."

"I thought I saw someone but it doesn't matter now."

"Well if you say so. I should go and catch up with Freddie."

She went up on her tiptoes to give me a peck on the cheek. Then knowing full well that her brother had a very severe headache she yelled, "FREDDIE!", in her loudest voice.

I walked over to where Hermione and the others were talking and then stopped as I realised what they were discussing.

"So, rumour has it that Ellie's back."

"Back? She's in England?"

"And she's coming to see us?"

"Yes! Isn't it wonderful, it'll be just like old times!"

"Well almost like old times." Ron's eyes fell on me and his face flushed red. "Oh hey George."

"I'm assuming Roxy's taking the register, it would be awful if we lost a child."

Ron laughed at Hermione. "Not if the child was a Slytherin."

My thoughts wondered off just Hermione gave Ron a friendly shoulder nudge. Ellie was back. Back for who and for what reason? Minus Fred, would it really be just like old times? I doubted it. Ellie wouldn't return after nineteen years just to make friends, no she would have an agenda, but what.

And then I saw her reason. Although I wasn't quite sure who she was, the girl who peered through the window had to be related to Ellie. Her eyes were nearly as powerful but you could see the resemblance and her curly dark hair licked at her cheeks in exactly the same way. I tried to think whether or not Ivy had a child but I figured this girl was too young and I she didn't look enough like Ellie to be her daughter, so that left one more person: Riley.

**So that was chapter 2. I feel as though I'm being very cryptic with you guys but don't worry, all will be explained sooner or later.**

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**Ella Bells xx**


	3. I see a pink tulip in the owlery

**Heyy guys it's chapter 3. I'm amazed at how quickly I wrote this. Anyway hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 3. I see a pink tulip in the owlery~**

_Lauren POV_

I watched Magenta like a stalk. Charlotte hadn't said anything to me but it was sort of expected for me to look out for her. For the first few days I took her to classes and accompanied her around the castle, even though she wasn't in my house. I was too busy on the second week to see her much but judging by the fact that she was always smiling I thought she was ok.

"Hey chubby."

I turned around and scowled in the direction of James Potter. He was a Gryffindor Chaser and I was the same for the Slytherin team so naturally we hated each other.

"Hi ferret face."

"So are they actually letting you back on the team this year, I heard the first years are gonna put you out of a job."

"Well you heard wrong." I frowned as my head exploded in pain.

"You alright?"

"Yeah I've just got this terrible headache."

"No Quidditch practice for you then." He smirked.

"I'll get over it." I snarled before turning away with as much nonchalance as I could manage.

_~XC021~_

_A silver chair rose up from the ground and I dropped onto my knees before it, my face bloodied, my hair wet and knotted. I raised my eyes so that they were locked on the man in the chair. His hair was jet black and his eyes cold—I recognised him. _

_I spat blood at his feet and with some effort I managed to speak._

"_Take my life if it will please you but it'll take a lot more than that to get what you want."_

"_No, what will please me and what I want is exactly the same thing. Lauren dearest, you will die."_

_He aimed his wand at the place my heart beat furiously. "Avada Kedavra!"_

I woke up covered in sweat and I kept trying to convince myself it was just a dream but I knew better than to believe that.

_~XC021~_

_Albus Severus POV_

I ran up to the owlery, happy that this was perhaps the only place where I could escape my brother.

I heard the girl before I saw her. She was singing to herself whilst feeding her owl—she had a gentle voice.

"Hi." She turned around and beamed at me from my position in the doorway. How did she know I was standing there?

"Oh hi." I felt like I should say more than that. "I'm Albus."

"Nice to meet you Albus, I'm Magenta."

"Magenta. That's a cool name."

"Magenta Tulip Corem. I'm named after the pink tulips that were in the garden the day Ellie found me."

"Found you?" I couldn't help but ask.

"It's complicated."

"Well feeding my owl will take a while…"

She told me everything and I didn't interrupt. Ellie was her aunt who had looked after her since she was three days old. Her real mum's alive but in a coma. When I heard her story, I felt guilty for complaining about living with James. He was annoying but at least I had him and mum and dad and Lily.

_~XC021~_

Unlike other nights I didn't sleep easy. I had a nightmare and one that chilled me to the core. I had been in a room and watched a girl die and even though I knew it was only a dream, it had me on edge for the entire next day. I considered telling my parents but I didn't want to worry them, that wouldn't have been fair.

Dinner came around and I was just beginning to get over the nightmare when I saw something that made my heart pound. A third year Slytherin with mid-length dark hair and light eyes walked over to her table. Her face was unmarked and her eyes were different but it was unmistakably her. It was the girl from my dream—it was Lauren.

I left dinner quickly and raced up to the Gryffindor common, then went straight to my dorm so Rose wouldn't try to speak to me. I didn't really sleep, I just tried to stick things out until the morning.

The quiet Saturday was what I needed to keep my sanity intact. Magenta sought me out after breakfast, took my hand and pulled me outside. It surprised me how quiet it was with everyone either at Hufflepuff and Slytherin tryouts or at Hogsmead or studying. We sat opposite each other and for a few moments nothing was said. Then Magenta looked at me with her eyes that I notice change colour quite often. They were sparkling pink.

"So, do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"I had a dream the other night. A girl was killed, a girl I had never seen until dinner last night."

"Who was the girl?" She asked, her eyes turning from pink to sparks of fire.

"Some Slytherin third year called Lauren."

Concern and fear flashed across her face but an instant later it was gone.

"You're nervous and stressed, it makes sense that your mind is playing tricks on you—just tell me if it happens again."

I didn't know why it mattered so much to her but there was no point ruining possibly the only friendship I'd ever have. I nodded reassuringly and her eyes went back to pink.

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I strode through the building, lighting fires as I passed torches. The deeper I got into the Ministry the colder it was and although it was only September I had to wear my woolly coat. Other witches and wizards greeted me with smiles as they did every time I travelled into the depths of the Ministry, unseen by Harry or the others.

I forced open the door at the bottom most level of the Ministry and flicked my wrist at the sconces. Then I took in the woman who was shackled to a chair. Her eyes were very blue and her dark hair fell to her waist.

"Hi, did you miss me?"

**So there you have it. You can probably guess who's decided to give Ellie a visit. Anyway, I considered making this chapter longer but I was feeling mean :)**

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**Ella Bells xx**


	4. I ask for a knife

**This is really a Charlotte based chapter, mainly because I think she deserves it. So yeah I really hope you all enjoy it, especially Charz!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 4. I ask for a knife~**

_Charlotte POV_

"How many times must I tell you that it isn't necessary to get yourself arrested every time you want to speak to me?"

Ellie unshackled me and poured herself a drink whilst giving me the look she usually reserved for her neice, Jess.

"This is only the second time and it wasn't as if I planned it either."

"What did you do this time?"

"I was causing trouble down in Nocturn Alley." I said sheepishly.

"You're lucky Emephile and I are always around to bail you out. What do you want anyway?"

"I want to hear if the rumours are true. Everyone's saying you're coming back."

"You know the rumours are true, you saw me a month ago."

"Well yes but they were just ideas then. Nothing was confirmed."

"Here I am Charlotte, back in England in all my former glory." She smiled wryly. "No need to get yourself arrested."

She hung her blue coat up on the wall and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. The shock of gold that ran through it fell into her face.

"Are you coming to see the others?" I say, taking my wand from the box where it was locked during my arrest.

"Christmas day."

"You better be there."

"Do me a favour though."

I sighed inwardly. "That depends. I've done you a lot of favours in the last nineteen years and I've hated most of them."

"Make sure George is ok—I don't want to come back if it's going to cause problems."

"Oh its not George you need to worry about, it's Angelina."

"You don't think I can deal with an ego inflated and very jealous wife?" She smiled, her eyes burning in a slightly evil way.

~_XC021~_

As I walked from the Ministry, it dawned on me for the first time that Ellie was really back. The gang was getting back together—minus Fred of course. Would George even know her anymore? Would he know me? After all I hadn't seen him in the best part of two years.

I thought those two years were the ones I needed to get my life back on track, but as I looked at myself in a puddle on the ground I realised my life wasn't on track at all. My hair was so long it hit my waist. When had I ever had long hair? And then I knew what had to be done.

I ran into an alleyway and disapparated. I arrived on the outskirts of Harrow. My hometown had changed considerably since my childhood. The key thing being that both my family and Ellie's no longer lived there. My house was the same though.

Large with an ever smoking chimney, hanging flowers and all the décor you'd expect from a rich, proud and well-bred family. I never fully lived up to the Ryder name but then again it always seemed as though the Weasleys had raised me.

Warm air hit my face as soon I entered and the family house-elf—Fritz—greeted me immediately.

"Mistress Charlotte, I am honoured to be serving you once more. Will you be staying long Mistress, only I would like to know whether or not to prepare you a meal?" He said politely.

"A meal would be lovely Fritz. Hey could you find me a pair of scissors…no…a knife would be better."

"Yes Mistress, I will find you a knife with the sharpest blade you've ever seen."

The sweet little elf disappeared and returned again with the type of knife Ellie used for hunting when we were on the run.

"Thank you Fritz, call me when dinner's ready."

He bowed low and nodded obediently.

Once upstairs I sat on the edge of the bathroom and held the knife to a spot just below my shoulder. Then in a swift movement I cut away at my hair. Half an hour later it was hung around my shoulders in a neat but plain style.

I looked myself in the mirror and the person who looked back was already starting to look like me.

_~XC021~_

_George POV_

"Heyy George you up here?"

I frowned as I recognised Charlotte's voice. "Yeah, I'm in my room."

I didn't usually spend time in the flat above the shop but I was beginning to feel a little unhinged and being in the flat made me feel better.

Charlotte poked her head around the door. "You ok?"

"Fine." I put down the metal gadget that had been occupying me for the last half an hour and gave Charlotte my full attention.

"Long time, no see."

"I've been busy." She muttered

"I take it you're the bringer of bad news today." I wanted to skip the pleasantries and get straight to business. The quicker she left, the better I'd feel.

"I came to warn you that Ellie will be back soon."

"Yeah, so I heard." I said coldly.

"Hey!" She instantly got defensive. "You can't blame this on me!"

"You could have made her stay!"

A jet of water hit my face. "Nobody could make Ellie do anything once she's made up her mind."

"So she's coming back no matter what?"

She considered this for a moment obviously deciding whether or not to tell me.

"She won't come back if it'll cause problems for you."

"It won't cause problems for me." I said simply.

"Are you sure?"

I knew exactly what Charlotte was getting at so when I spoke again my voice had taken on a whole new level of bitterness.

"That relationship's dead and buried—just like every thing else I loved."

**Wow that was cold and slightly insensitive on George's part. Anyway hope you liked it. I'll return to my usual mix of characters in the next chapter!**

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	5. Hey dad, it's been a while

**Heyy guys, I know its been a while but I hope you like this one! Anyway review when you've read :) New links are being added to my page as you read.**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 5. Hey dad its been a while~**

_Ellie POV_

I jumped over the low wall of Lakewood School for Gifted Students and beckoned my partner—Emephile Korakov—forward.

"This is it? This is the place where you and Charlotte went before Hogwarts?"

"Its like a magical prep school…for those who can afford it." I shruggred.

"Bet that was fun." Korakov smiled.

"Better than spending my days at home." I smiled back.

"So it's a hot spot for crime now?" She said, picking her way over to the front wall.

"Well the Ministry disbanded the schools because they want to eliminate status discrimination but Lakewood still continued to run. The Ministry attempted to shut it by force during the summer but they plan on opening again in the future."

"Cool. We storming the place then?"

"There's nobody here. I just want confirmation that _he _was here."

"You know you shouldn't use our work time to chase guys." Korakov laughed.

"Joreth." I said in a serious tone.

"Charlotte's brother-in-law?"

"How many other people do you know that tried to kill their own two-month-old daughter and are named Joreth?"

_~XC021~_

_Lauren POV  
><em>

I knew from the moment I got up that there was something fundamentally wrong with Hogwarts. It was…naked. Unprotected. Vulnerable. An attack was going to fall on Hogwarts—_and if I don't get out of bed quick enough the ceiling is going to collapse on my head._ In the time it took me to roll out of bed I realised that the attack was on me. I barely had enough time to yell to my friends before I was forced to run down the stairs into the common room.

I forced my way out of the door, raced up to the Ravenclaw common room and kicked the door open. To my surprise the house was already in turmoil—bricks were crumbling, walls were cracking.

"Gen?" I called out.

"I'm here." She answered from by the door. Her trunk was packed and in her hand. For a moment I thought about going back for my own trunk but it wasn't like I carried valuables.

"Come on Magenta, we're leaving."

I clutched my broom—which I had managed to salvage—in one hand and held Gen's wrist in my other. We got out of the castle and made it as far as Hogsmeade before I saw him.

He had a shocking resemblance to me. Thick dark hair and sharp features. He was my dad and he wanted to kill me.

Magenta moved first, pulling out her wand and yelling "_diffindo!_"

I guess a benefit of us both being together was the fact that both Ellie and Charlotte were insistent in putting us through defensive training. It was a family tradition for Ryder and Corem to serve 300 days of intensive training in both magical defence and mortal combat. It was nowhere near fun but it certainly kicked the dependant little girl gene right out of us.

I held my own wand in a steady hand and said "_petrificus totalus_" and dad fell down in an instant. The spell shouldn't have worked that well, considering I had little practice stunning people but for some reason it did.

Taking the opportunity of my dad being disabled, we ran to 'The Three Broomsticks' and stepped inside. The place was warm as usual and all the inhabitants were apparently unaware what was going on at Hogwarts. Charlotte was right—it was the perfect place for plotting.

The phone sat at the back looking clean and new thanks to the anti-germ spell a couple of Ravenclaw seventh years had placed on it a few years back. Most places had installed phones since they found it easier than writing letters constantly, although apparently Hogwarts had never noticed the development of electricity.

"Who should we call?" I asked.

"Not Mum, I mean Ellie, she'll panic." Gen sometimes made slips like that, calling Ellie her mum but that's how she saw her, of course she'd never say it out loud.

"Jess?" I suggested.

She dialled Jess' number and after a short conversation she hung up and told me that Jess was on her way.

I let out as sigh of relief. So we had avoided getting murdered by my lovely father but there was one question on my mind: why was he here there in the first place.

_Albus POV_

I scanned the room again but I still couldn't see Magenta. Was there a possibility that she was injured by the collapsing walls, killed? I didn't think there were any casualties but on a second glance I noticed the Slytherin table was looking a little empty. If it wasn't for the fact that the assault started in their common room then I would've pinned the disaster on them. James continued to spread rumours that we were part of a Ministry conspiracy. I mostly ignored him.

Each Head of House did a head count and took note of people missing. It turned out that there were a few casualties but none fatal. Lots were from Slytherin and Hufflepuff. For this reason, as well as the near destruction of the school itself, Hogwarts would be closed until at least after Christmas. I suppressed a sigh as I realised what that meant—I was at home with James again.

And then they told us the really bad news.

_Charlotte POV_

I locked up the shop and left Diagon Alley. The incident in Hogwarts had put my life into perspective, which meant I couldn't sit around selling wands any more. If people were attacking Hogwarts then I would have to start making an appearance again.

When I got home I found a letter on the kitchen table. **M.O.M** was written in thick letters and a feeling of dread spread through me.

_Miss C. Ryder, _

_Following the events that took place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it has been closed until further notice. It has also with remorse that I have to inform you that Lauren C. Ryder and Magenta T. Corem were unaccounted for during the head count in the Great Hall. At the Ministry we are working hard to locate the two girls and will contact you when we know more. _

_Millicent Bulstrode, _

_Department of Education, _

_Ministry of Magic_

I could almost feel the fire that Ellie would be creating and then I realised the fire was in the house. I turned around and saw Ellie sitting by the fire, eyes burning with self-hatred.

"I failed." I could barely hear her voice over the crackling of the fire. "All I had to do was keep her safe and I still failed."

"If they're together then they're ok." I reassured her.

"And if they're not? Charlotte, Magenta and Jess are all I have—I try for them."

I locked eyes with her. "And when you try hard for something it always turns out ok."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not just talking about Gen and Lauren?"

I smiled sadly. "Because I'm not."

**So Hogwarts has been closed, two girls are missing and a psychopathic killer is on the loose. Oh the scandal that surrounds Ellie's life :D!**

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**Ella Bells xx**


	6. Apparently daddy is a snake

**First of all I'd like to apologize because I haven't updated in a month. Don't worry the story continues as normal and just to make it up to you I'm going to update again today. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 6. Apparently daddy is a snake~**

_Lauren POV _

Jess apparated into Hogsmeade a full hour after we'd called her, dressed in slippers and pyjamas underneath her black coat.

"It's wrong that you two get in more trouble that I do." She smiled as she saw us. "Everyone good with side-along apparition? Okay lets go!"

Jess was probably my least responsible relative-of-sorts but she always tried her best to help me and Gen when we landed in a spot of bother. We apparated into Jess' flat that she shared with her bandmates from the popular group Howlers and Harpies. Admittedly the flat wasn't the nicest place I'd seen, it was a low rent apartment shared by four people, three of which were young adult men.

"You can both stay here until Ellie finishes work and then you'll probably have to spend the rest of the term with people you've never met before." She said with a sly grin.

"You think Charlotte and Ellie will be busy until Christmas?" I asked.

"If they don't already know your lovely father is back, they'll find out soon enough and you know that'll occupy the majority of their time."

"You don't think he hurt anyone else do you?"

"Your friends will be alright, the professors' know what they're doing, you were probably the only two he targeted personally."

"Yeah because that's reassuring." I said sarcastically.

_~XC021~_

Apparently the place we were staying was an old castle in the middle of nowhere and to be completely honest that didn't impress me much. I was used to living in well lit, spacious places with a bedroom to myself and without the requirement to make conversation with other human beings. The castle was a bit of a shock—and not the pleasant kind.

The entire place was dim and sort of depressing almost as if it expected the inhabitants to make it seem happier. The furniture was old fashioned and the paintings were unnerving, it wasn't like being in Hogwarts, Hogwarts was alive and this place was…dead. The room I was sharing with James' female cousins was a slight improvement to the rest of the castle.

"Lauren you can dump your stuff in that corner and Magenta you'll be on Rose's bunk." Roxy directed me to the corner of the room where there was a small draw set aside for me and a single bed.

"Thanks." I muttered, turning to Gen to check she was alright.

I sat down on the bed, making a mental note to ask Charlotte to soften the mattress when she came. I pulled out a book and a pen and started my diary.

_Magenta POV_

Ellie wasn't going to be back until Christmas which meant I was going to be alone with strangers for another month at least. I did't want to bother Lauren for the entire time, which meant I would actually have to talk people, the only problem was I didn't find talking to people easy. I needed to find Albus who no doubt didn't know I was even here.

I went along the corridor and down the stairs and saw him immediately. Albus was just leaving his room when I spotted him.

"Gen, you're ok. I thought you'd been taken." He walked towards me and gave me a hug that I wasn't expecting.

"No, I'm fine, I'm great. How are you?" I said pulling back.

"I'm fine too, a little disappointed that I have to spend time with James but still fine. It'll be nice to have you around."

I ran a hand through my hair nervously. "Yeah, it will be nice."

He gave me a look. "But…" He prompted.

"I can't really speak to people. Ellie calls me a selective mute. I can only physically speak to some people, like you, Ellie, Charlotte and Lauren or when there's danger."

"You really can't talk to people?" He asked

"I open my mouth but no sound comes out."

"So you didn't even know if you could talk to me—"

"Until the moment I did." I finished with a smile. "So what do you do for fun around here?"

"Well I don't know about the others but I like to spend time in the library."

"Cool, show me the way."

_~XC021~_

_~A few weeks later~_

_Lauren POV_

It was Christmas day and there was no sign of Charlotte or Ellie. What annoyed me more though was the fact that James wouldn't leave me alone. In a crazy way I viewed him as a friend but the type of friend I could easily replace.

"You look distracted." He said. Thankfully he'd been playing nice all day.

"I'm just wondering where Charlotte is."

I had the same sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I did when Joreth attacked Hogwarts. I knew something was wrong and that feeling was confirmed when a scream came from upstairs. I did a mental check of everyone I knew who was staying in the castle.

The younger children, Magenta and Albus included, were in my line of sight playing wizard chess. The adults were next door in the kitchen, having a conversation about the Ministry. The people upstairs would be Fred, Teddy, Victoire and James' older cousins.

Victoire apparated into the room, pale-faced with haunted eyes. Ginny walked into the room first, followed closely by Hermione who gently tried to tease a reaction from Victoire, who lifted a finger to point at the drawn curtains.

The curtains were opened and as clear as day there it was—the dark mark. The only difference was the snake curled round to bite the skull of the mouth from which it was protruding. It had a beautiful darkness and I knew as soon as I saw it that it was more powerful than any other dark mark. I could hear the snake and ok I was a parseltongue but the snake shouldn't have been able to talk to me.

_Join usss Lauren. Join me._ I had never heard him speak but I was sure that was how my dad talked.

I wanted to hiss right back but I was sure that would scare some people.

_Um what's that?_ Magenta's voice echoed in my head and pulled me back to reality.

I looked out of the window again and saw a person on a broomstick fly through the dark mark. The person was female with short dark hair and was riding a Comet 290 despite the fact that she could afford a better broom. Another witch was riding a few metres behind her, blonde hair flying backwards.

There was a lot of muttering and hushed whispers as the adults tried to work out who the witches were and whether or not they were trouble.

My voice cut through the chatter like glass as I gave Magenta a wry smile. "That ladies and gentlemen, would be Miss Charlotte Ryder."

**Oooh Charlotte is finally back! Will Ellie be with her, who knows. XDD I hope you enjoyed this one and until the next time... **

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**Ella Bells xx**


	7. Can nobody see I'm sleeping?

**Well as promised here is your second chapter today! Please, please review once you've read. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 7. Can nobody see I'm sleeping?~**

_Charlotte POV_

I planned to land gracefully but as Ellie always said being graceful was never my thing. Knowing that I would probably crash in an undignified way, I jumped from my broom and landed on the ground in a low crouch. Emephile meanwhile landed neatly, grasping both my broom and her own.

"Thanks." I said.

"Not a problem." She smiled in her usual cheery way, then she pointed her wand at the dark mark and it dispersed immediately.

"Well better go and see what damage has been done." I sighed.

"Yes, we'd better." Emephile agreed.

Not wanting to blast the back door of its hinges, I politely knocked and waited for someone to answer.

Ron opened the door with an easy smile. "Long time, no see Charlotte and errr…"

"Korakov." Emephile said vacantly, already scanning the castle for any sort of dark magic.

"Don't mind her, she won't be here long." I said, walking into the castle and making my way to the main room.

"So much for getting here by Christmas." Lauren said when she saw me.

I shot her an exasperated look. "And so much for you not getting into trouble this year."

"Ellie's not with you?" Hermione asked, a little disappointed.

Emephile walked into the room. "She's otherwise engaged but I wouldn't worry about it, she'll no doubt be here by the end of the week."

Emephile continued to walk around the room writing things down in her notepad.

Angelina cleared her throat. "Umm and you are?" She inquired.

"Emephile Korakov." She flashed her Ministry badge at Angelina before she could ask another question.

"Oh." Ginny said. "You're an Auror?"

"I'm a Naorta. It means I've been trained by the Naorta prison, it makes me a little more important that an Auror. I'm the person the Ministry employs when Aurors don't do their job."

Ron frowned. "We're under inspection?"

Emephile laughed. "No. I did ask but my boss wouldn't let me. I'm just here to see what protection you have. I need to be sure you have at least fifteen minutes worth of defences."

"Why fifteen minutes?" Said Hermione.

"I estimate that's how long it would take someone to figure out how to break in and kidnap a person."

"And when you say someone, you mean me."

I looked Lauren in the eye. "Unfortunately, yes."

_~XC021~_

Emephile left half an hour later, deeming the castle safe as long as there was one fully trained Auror in the house at all times. I was trained enough to count as an Auror so I agreed that until Ellie's arrival I would protect the castle. The problem of Death Eaters coming back and dark powers arising wasn't really discussed as nobody thought it would do any good to depress people whilst the kids were still in the Christmas spirit. Protective barriers went up every night though and I kept an eye on Lauren and Gen to make sure they hadn't gone wondering of their own accord.

George had been keeping his distance, which was good as I was still pretty angry with him from the last time we had spoken. We couldn't avoid each other for long though as Ginny had tactfully put us on washing up duty together and had hissed '_make up_' at George before leaving the room.

"I'm sorry." He said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"I'm sorry too, for squirting water in your face and for being a little insensitive. I guess I just want Ellie to come back, having your two closest friends on opposite sides of the world is hard."

"I want Ellie to come back too but thinking about it all is difficult."

"We're all we have left and we owe it to Fred's memory to go back to being the friends we were before. I'm not saying it won't be hard because it will but we've all been through worse."

George sighed. "It's been a long nineteen years."

"It's been a long nineteen years for everyone."

_~XC021~_

_Lauren POV_

I groaned. It was too early in the morning for crashing and banging; did people have no concept of sleep? I pulled the covers up over my head and tried to go back to sleep but there was someone shaking my shoulders. _What now!_ I thought.

"What?" I mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, you're tired, I get it. Come on, you've gotta get up."

I sat up as soon as I realised who was speaking.

"James? What the hell? What are you doing here?"

"Getting my sister, honestly chubby do you not realise what's happening right now?"

"I need to sleep."

James muttered something under his breath about me needing something else and pulled me out of bed. Lily kindly handed me my dressing gown, which I wrapped around me securely before following James down the stairs.

"He's here." I whispered fully awake now as I saw what everyone was worried about.

It was like bonfire night, only the sparks in the air were killing curses and various other curses and hexes designed to breach the castle. Green flashed across the window but they didn't manage to kill anything but a fox that was darting through the large fields of the castle ground. Branches and thorns whipped against the windows in a desperate attempt to break the glass. Colours flashed everywhere, spells and jinxes bouncing off the castle back at them.

I crossed the room to Magenta, who already had her wand out and was poised to attack.

"He can't get in." I said to reassure both Gen and myself.

"No he can't." Charlotte agreed. "But I don't think he's really trying. He wants to test our limits, see how much we can endure before we have to leave the castle."

"Like gassing rabbits out of a burrow." I said simply.

"Exactly."

Just as Charlotte spoke, there was a tremor and a yell from outside.

"No don't! It's a mine field."

Another bomb exploded and when the smoke cleared a black robed witch, a Naorta, appeared in its place. This continued for another three minutes, until there were as many Naorta as there were Death Eaters. All the Naorta pulled their cloaks around their bodies like a shield. There was a moment when nothing happened and then the wall exploded outwards.

**Ok I admit I've left you with another cliff-hanger chapter but I promise it's worth the suspense. I promise the next update will be quicker but in the meantime you can re-read Flight of Fire or check out The Other Prophecy. **

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**Ella Bells xx**


	8. No best friend privileges

**Heyy guys, this is a surprisingly long chapter for me but I'm sure you're not complaining. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy! *whispers* and don't forget to review! **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 8. No best friend privileges~**

_Charlotte POV_

I wanted to counteract the feeling of weightlessness that consumed me as I was lifted into the air and flipped over midflight. Shrapnel hit me in waves but the majority of it was plastic and metal, not the more deadly fragments of glass. As if in slow motion bricks began to fall from the ceiling but it was only as I hit the ground that I realised the wall was reforming. I moaned as my head whacked against the carpet in a way that would definitely leave a bruise.

_Click._ The door unlocked and who ever was on the other side happily waltzed right in. I pushed myself up off the floor and readied my wand even though I knew it wasn't necessary.

"Well, did someone call for pest control?"

_George POV_

I had just dusted myself off when I heard the voice and my heart stammered to a stop. Leaning against the wall was Ellie in all her fire starting glory. Had the same face, the same dark skin and fiery eyes, the same slight figure and strong posture. In fact the only thing that had changed about her was the length of her hair. She had cut it short so it fell as a layered short black bob that tickled her chin. She had a dangerous smile on her face, the type that said _mess with me if you dare_.

"Ellie!" Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry cheered like excitable schoolchildren.

Hermione and Ginny gave her a hug and Ron tried to look nonchalant but in the end hugged her too. All the while I looked at her and said nothing. She was careful not to meet my eye, not to say a word.

"Ok so I'm not allowed to get arrested but you can deal with explosives?" Charlotte asked sarcastically.

"They weren't really dangerous."

"How did you manage to activate explosives anyway?" Ange asked in an accusing way.

Ellie fixed her with a calculating smile. "What can I say? Emephile is meticulous."

"Wait." Harry said. "Emephile Korakov? Does that mean you're her boss?"

"And in turn your boss." Ellie beamed wide. "Oh it's great to be back."

_~XC021~_

I left the room as soon as the questions were asked, not wanting to hear about her life in the last nineteen years but as far as I could tell she wasn't telling them much anyway. After a while I managed to drown out the sound of people talking and started to tidy up the kitchen. I felt her at the door of the kitchen before I saw her. My whole body stiffened as she walked into my line of sight. I kept my face clear of emotion.

"We need to talk." Ellie said.

I turned around and put a _muffliato_ on the door before I responded. "I have nothing to say to you."

"George please." She begged.

"Nineteen years Ellie, you left for nineteen years and nobody heard a word from you."

"I had to go."

"I thought you were dead!" I yelled.

"I wanted to stay, I did, I swear, but I would've destroyed us George. You would've hated me."

"I hate you now." She winced as I said the words and I instantly regretted it. "You left on the day of Fred's funeral, what kind of friend does that?"

"My timing was awful, I know my timing was awful but if I didn't leave then I wouldn't have left at all and that would've been just as bad."

"You had everything, you had people who loved you and who would die for you and you threw it all away."

"Hey George are you coming up?" Ange called sweetly.

Ellie's eyes turned dark. "You've got a wife and two kids, I guess you got the better end of the deal."

She gave me one last pained look before storming from the room.

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I don't know what I was expecting, maybe for George to immediately forgive me or maybe for George to tell me that he was glad I was back. It was pretty stupid if I thought we'd instantly become friends again. I sat back to back with Charlotte on the floor of my room in Harrow House.

"He hates me. He's not even angry with me, or frustrated with me, he _hates_ me."

"I don't think he means it." Charlotte reassured me.

"He was pretty convincing."

"He just needs time to process things. It could take a while but he'll come round eventually, you'll be friends again."

"When I saw him I felt like I was fourteen all over again, really seeing him for the first time, noticing him as something other than my best friend George."

"I still don't forgive you for not telling me about that." Charlotte smiled.

_~XC021~_

_December 1994_

"Another present?" Charlotte asked eyebrows raised.

"I think I might give this one to Hermione." I said.

Everyday of the week I had received multiple presents from multiple boys who wanted to accompany me to the Yule Ball.

"You said yes to any of them?" Fred asked.

"Nah." I said. "But I'm gonna have to pick one soon aren't I." I sighed.

The Yule Ball was only two days away and I was yet to accept anyone. Charlotte just smiled at me knowingly.

"Still haven't been asked by the guy you want?" Charlotte inquired as Fred gave her a questioning look. "Don't look at me like that, its not as if she told me anything."

"Yeah me and Charlotte aren't half as close as you think." I laughed. "And no I haven't."

_One Day Later_

I was sitting in my usual spot in Hogsmeade, legs crossed and head buried in a book. I vaguely noticed George walking up to me.

"So I've decided I'm going to ask Angelina to the Yule Ball." He told me.

I closed my book, stood up and started to walk away, anger building up inside of me.

"Hey! Slow down, what's wrong?" George chased after me.

"Nothing. I'm fine. If you want to ask Angelina that's fine, that's amazing in fact."

"Ok please explain what this is about because I am really confused." He reached out a hand and spun me round.

"For some crazy reason I thought you liked me but obviously I was way off. Its ok, I mean why would you like me, we're just—" I was cut off by George's mouth pressed against mine.

I broke away. "You done messing with my emotions." I muttered before kissing him again.

"I just didn't think it would be appropriate to ask you to the Yule Ball after I had given my whole 'I care about you and want to keep you safe' speech."

"Well I kind of wished you had. You would've saved me the childish tantrum, besides I do feel safe with you."

"So I guess this means I'll see you at the Yule Ball then."

"Yes, but don't let Charlotte know, I love messing with her head."

_Night of the Yule Ball_

"So, who are you going to the Yule Ball with?" Charlotte asked.

"Not telling." I smiled.

"Come on please just tell me."

"I have to get ready Charlotte, see you in an hour."

I waved goodbye to Charlotte and made my way up to the Ravenclaw common room. It was calm and peaceful, everyone talking and studying whilst adjusting their hair or fixing their clothes.

Up in my dorm the only person still in there was Becksy Loran who was fiddling around with her makeup.

"Oh hey Ellie. This came for you earlier."

"Thanks." I said taking the package from off my bed. Inside was a necklace laden with small circles of lapis lazuli stone. I smiled as I saw the little tag attached to it, wondering how George could possibly have afforded it.

I pulled on my dress. It was dark blue with a slit up the front and cut away around the ribs to reveal a large section of my back.

"Nice dress." Becksy smiled.

"You look nice too." I smiled back. "Would you like me to do your hair?"

Two makeovers later we were both ready for the Yule Ball but rather than walking down to the Great Hall I hung back. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, I was different from the girl I was last year. I was matured. I looked more like my mother everyday, my eyes brightened and my body lengthened. I was nothing like the shy unsure girl I was before and the more my confidence grew the more I felt like a real Corem, a real girl of fire.

I walked down to the Great Hall and locked eyes with George. He beamed at me and pulled me close to him. He leaned down and kissed me lightly.

"Its showtime." I smiled and together we walked into the Great Hall and I swear the whole room turned to look at us.

_Next Day_

Charlotte stormed in and gave me a dark look.

"Hey Charlotte." I smiled.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me."

I laughed at Charlotte. "I'm sorry, no best friend privileges."

_~XC021~_

_Modern Day_

Fourth year was then, before, a whole other world when I was in control. I wasn't in control, I wasn't safe, I was a stranger in my own head. I had messed up the perfect life, I had taken the most beautiful picture and scribbled all over it, I had destroyed everything that most people would for. I was the worst person in the world, the worst of them all.

**Ok, I'm sorry about the angsty ending but oh well. So George and Ellie aren't doing so well. **

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**Ella Bells xx**


	9. Life's like a children's story

**Heyy, sorry guys I've been really busy. Starring in the Wizard of Oz and all that jazz. So anyway, this week is a little hectic for me so if you don't get an update before Friday, I apologize. Anyway, we've got half-term holidays soon so that means more updates! Yay!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 9. Life's like a children's story~ **

_Ellie POV_

My office was a mess when I got back to work. Emephile had managed to sort half of the paperwork on my desk but there were still piles of files dotted around the room.

I hung up my coat and settled down in my chair. I picked up the nearest file and flicked through it.

"Suspected accomplice?" Emephile asked when I put the file down.

I shook my head. "There was no prison break. This is a whole new brand of Death Eaters with Joreth as their new leader."

"What the Ministry feared the most." She nodded in agreement.

"We'll have to deploy as many Aurors as possible to watch Lakewood around the clock. That seems to be their base."

"Mmm." She mused. "Almost like they're guarding something. I'll get that sorted by this afternoon."

"What!" Something she had said rang a bell in my head.

"I said I'll get it sorted by this afternoon."

"No, before that."

"Oh. I just thought from the way they've been behaving around Lakewood, you'd think they were guarding something in the school."

"Or trying to resurrect something." I stood up suddenly and grabbed my coat.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I need to research something."

"You've got a hunch." She smiled, intrigued.

"Well yes, only it's based on a children's story."

Emephile just laughed, already used to my crazy ideas. I shrugged on my coat and walked out of my office.

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

Rather than going to my shop in Diagon Alley, I decided to make my wands in one of the smaller living rooms. It was quiet except for the sound of crackling caused by wands backfiring. I was so caught up in entwining wand cores that I barely noticed George walk in.

"Umm Charlotte can I talk to you?" He said, tapping me on the shoulder.

I cursed lightly. "Please don't sneak up on me like that."

"What else do you want me to do?" He asked defensively.

"Make loads of noise when you walk in." I grinned, putting down the wand I was working on.

"Sorry, I'll do that next time."

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" I said seriously.

"Ellie." He sighed.

"What about Ellie?"

"I messed up. I got angry with her and I didn't want to. I don't want to hurt her."

"She thinks you hate her."

"I don't hate her."

"Then show her that. Find out about what she's been up to for the last nineteen years. It'll help get the two of you back to common ground."

"She's hardly told the others anything. What makes you think she'll say anything to me?"

I smiled. "If you both want to be friends then you'll both work it out. Just talk to her."

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I scanned my library for the book I wanted. It was small and leather bound and exactly the type of book my mother would have kept away from me. _My mother would've kept away from me._ Something clicked in my head and left the library altogether.

I walked into what would've been my mother's bedroom and went straight to the hidden hatch disguised as a window. I pushed in open and found it was empty of my mother's things bar one book.

It was a limited edition of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and only fifty copies were made. My mother never let me read from this copy as she said the story in the back wasn't appropriate for young witches to read. It was a twisted story that most parents wouldn't read to their children because somewhere buried in the creases of the pages was a haunted truth—the story was true.

_~XC021~_

"You think that Joreth is after Lauren because of a children's story?" Charlotte asked sceptically.

"It's not just a story though. Freya was extremely powerful, powerful enough to control a jewel like that and I _know_ the chair is real."

"Wait what story is this?" Lauren asked. "Me and Gen have gone through all the books in the library."

"This book isn't in the library." I said, taking it out of my bag. "Most people don't read this story to children."

Lauren laughed. "It can't honestly be any worse than anything else I've read."

"The story itself is fine, it's what it drives people to do that's dangerous. Joreth obviously thinks the story is true and he's willing to kill you to possess those powers."

"So let me get this straight." Charlotte started. "You think that there is a whole new cult of Death Eaters who live their life by a story?"

"Myth." I corrected. "Yes, that's what I think."

"And you say the chair is real." Lauren asked.

"Yes, it's hidden somewhere in Lakewood School."

"Well that's fantastic." Gen said sarcastically.

"Look I could be onto something here." I said defensively. "You should be supporting me."

"You sound completely the insane—I hope you know that."

I looked at my youngest niece. "Nice to know you've got my back."

_~XC021~_

_George POV_

"Are you happy that Ellie's back?" Ange tried sounding sweet and innocent but I could hear the bitterness in her voice.

"I guess." I shrugged. "It's strange having her around though."

"I'm sure it is." She said, crossing the bedroom and moving behind me to rub my shoulders.

"I'll get used to it."

Ange continued to massage my shoulders and I felt my tension ease away. "Or she can just leave." She muttered.

"What." I said stepping away from her. "No Ange, I don't want her to go."

"I didn't think you were getting on." She gave me a suspicious glare.

"I don't want her to leave before I know where I stand with her."

Ange looked at me through narrowed eyes before turning around and storming into the en suit bathroom.

"Hey Ange come on." I pleaded.

"Sofa!" She yelled at me.

I sighed and pulled a spare duvet from under the bed. I traipsed down a few flights of stairs and settled down on a sofa in one of the smaller living rooms.

I should've felt worried about Ange's jealousy but the stress of the last few days was beginning to catch up with me and needless to say, I slept like a baby.

I was awoken by the sound of movement in the room. I lazily opened an eye and yawned loudly. I recognised Ellie's voice as she swore under her breath.

"What time is it?" I groaned.

"Early. Please go back to sleep, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it. Are you going to work now?" I noticed that it was still dark outside.

"Yes. Early mornings, late nights, I couldn't live any other way."

Realising this was my chance to straighten things out with Ellie, I sat up. "I'm sorry about the other night."

"Don't be, you haven't seen me in nineteen years, your emotions aren't in check." She said bluntly.

"I don't hate you."

"I'm glad." She gave me a reassuring smile. "I have to go to work. I'll see you later."

I watched her as she walked out of the room and instantly felt warmer knowing that we were on better terms. We were nowhere near the friends we used to be but at least we were talking rather than yelling.

**Well I hope you liked this one. I'll try to update soon but you know what will encourage me...**

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**Ella Bella xx**


	10. A brick falls on my wrist

**Hey guys, the next chapter is here. I've been waiting ages to write this one and I'd love to hear your feedback so review...please!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 10. A brick falls on my wrist~**

_Ellie POV_

I sat on the low wall of Lakewood school and waited for signs of movement. It was as if the Death Eaters could sense me nearby and didn't want to draw my attention. Frustration threatened to get the better of me but I waited and eventually I caught the sound of leaves rustling behind me.

I was up and on my feet before the person in the bushes had made it halfway down the adjoining street. I kept up a steady pursuit down the quiet country lanes that surrounded the school. The blonde male made a sharp turn left and I took my opportunity to catch up properly.

I heated the air around my feet and I felt myself start to levitate, then using my fire like rocket fuel, I launched myself onto the roof of the house next to me and continued the chase on the rooftops. Almost catlike in my movements, I ran along the roof of one house and then jumped to the one opposite it. I ran to the end of that roof before somersaulting off of it and blocking the male's path.

He aimed a punch to my head but I blocked and then returned with a kick to his chest. He lost his centre of gravity and fell backwards, grabbing his wand at the same time.

"_Incarcerous." _

I dodged the ropes which gave him time to stand up. I ran up behind him and jumped onto his back. He easily took my weight and whirled around in an attempt to shake me off. I held fast though, pushing forward causing him to topple over. I rolled off of him and stood up.

"_Stupefy_." He yelled.

I dropped low and stood back up again, barely registering that the man had also recovered, wand in hand.

"_Confringo."_ He aimed the spell at the wall of the house closest to us and I threw myself to the ground just as bricks and glass showered down.

Head covered, I crawled away, burning any shrapnel that got too close. I let down my guard for a fraction of a second so I could take breather and in that moment a brick made its way down towards me. I rolled to the side but it still caught my wrist with a sickeningly hard impact.

My body arched up in pain and I screamed out in agony. It was broken or at least dislocated. I bit my lip hard against the pain and got to my feet. The familiar burn of fire spread in my veins and I focused it in my wrist which helped disguise the injury. I turned to face the man and felt my fingers warm up. I blew him a kiss and flames curled outwards like I was breathing fire.

Enough smoke rose to hide me as I stalked forwards and pulled the man into a headlock.

"I think it's time you took a trip down to my office." I said innocently before turning on the spot and disapparating.

_~XC021~_

Emephile made me leave work early, saying that my fight had left me looking peaky and I needed some rest. I let my coat rest on my shoulders and cradled my wrist in my good hand before opening the main door to the castle.

The first couple of corridors were dark and cold but I felt the warmth of the fire as I started to walk up the stairs to the first floor. I walked through the castle careful to avoid making too much noise.

"You alright?" George was sitting so still that I barely noticed him in the living room.

"I'm fine." I shuddered at how easily I could lie to him. "Where's everyone?"

"Harry, Ron and Hermione are at work. Ginny, Charlotte and Ange went out with the kids."

"You didn't join them?"

He shrugged. "Ange doesn't want to talk to me right now and I don't really want to fight in front of Fred and Roxy."

I put my bag down on the edge of the sofa and pulled out a couple of files that I had managed to steal from the office without Emephile noticing. I grimaced as pain shot through my left arm—I had to get my wrist looked at.

"What did you do to your wrist?" He asked.

"I just ran into some trouble with a suspected criminal."

George sighed. "Let's have a look." He gestured for me to come and sit next to him.

I sat next to him and held out my left arm. He carefully touched my wrist and felt around for the bone.

"Sorry." He muttered and I gritted my teeth. "You've completely shattered it. Did something fall on it?"

"Yeah...um...a brick."

He rolled his eyes. "You're lucky it didn't get infected. You should've really got it checked out immediately."

"Can you fix it? I don't want to go to St. Mungos."

"Yeah, I just need to go and get my stuff."

_~XC021~_

_George POV_

I rushed to find my first-aid kit and found it under the bed of my room with Ange. I brought the bag downstairs and sat back down next to Ellie. I pulled out a couple of creams and a bandage and started to work on her wrist.

"I'm sorry." I said again.

"I should be the one apologising."

"You left for a reason."

Ellie leaned back and closed her eyes. "I didn't know I was going to do it until I did. I was in a bad place—mentally—and I wasn't going to let anyone see me like that."

"I wish you'd have let me know. Wrote a letter, a postcard, spoken to me."

"What would I have said?"

I paused for a moment. "That you had to go and that this was goodbye."

"Would that have helped?" She asked sincerely, eyes still shut.

"Probably not." I admitted.

She smiled sadly. "I wouldn't have come back if I didn't think we could be friends."

I laughed. "You came back because you want to be friends?" I asked incredulously.

"Nineteen years is a long time to be alone and some adult company would be nice."

"Ok I'm sorry. I guess we can be friends."

I gently held her wrist in the palm of my hand and pulled out my wand. Muttering something under my breath, I flicked my wand and felt the shards of bones click into place.

Despite her closed eyes, I could see her face contort in pain as I checked the bone again and then applied the bandage.

"Are you ok?"

"I have a surprisingly high pain threshold." She hissed under her breath.

"Yeah but a shattered wrist hurts—a lot."

A dangerous smile played on her lips. "You still don't like seeing me in pain."

"I don't like seeing anyone in pain." I countered evenly.

"But you'd like to hurt the person who hurt me."

"That's true." I smiled despite myself.

She sat silently for a few moments and then tilted her head to the side. "Why was Angelina angry with you?" She said sweetly.

"She's worried about my feelings towards you."

"Oh." She opened her eyes. "Well what are your feelings towards me?"

I looked into her fiery eyes and I knew I would have to tell the truth. "I'm still in love with you."

**He's still in love with her, aww. How will Ellie react? What will happen next? What about Angelina and the kids? You'll have to find out next time. **

**Until then, please please please Subscribe and Review!**

**Ella Bella xx**


	11. Lauren is a gem

**Earlier this week I got the loveliest review from DreamingDementor, so I'm dedicating this to her. I'm sorry I left you on a cliffhanger for so long, I feel awful but it's exam year and I'm really busy. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 11. Lauren is a gem~**

_George POV_

Ellie sat there in silence, just looking at me, staring with those intense eyes of hers. She waited for me to finish wrapping her wrist before taking back her arm.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Her eyes flickered, the silhouettes in her irises changing form as she tried to work through her emotions.

"You're still in love with me." She said slowly. "You can't still be in love with me."

I watched her get up and start to pace, fire flickering on the tips of her fingers. I moved my healing things to the edge of the sofa and looked up at her, noticing the way her hips moved as she walked, the way her hair fell into her eyes, the way she would give me just a hint of devious smile as she paced.

"But I am."

She frowned. "I hurt you—a lot. I'm a terrible, terrible person. You can't love me, I won't let you!"

"Why can't you just admit that you're still in love too?"

"Because there are too many complications. I love you, I really do but there's Ange and Fred and Roxy and Magenta and—" Ellie stopped talking abruptly. "Well you get the idea."

I stood up and put a hand on her waist. She spun around in reflex and the aggression in her eyes faded. I held her gaze and gently pulled her closer.

"George." She whispered, all her restraint falling away.

"I know." Was all I said.

My lips just brushed hers at first and then it grew more passionate and I felt warmth spread through my skin to my bones. I tangled my fingers in her hair, kissing along her jawline whilst she wrapped her good arm around my neck to keep herself steady.

She broke away. "That was a bad move."

I shrugged. "I'm not complaining."

Ellie shook her head. "Not today." She kissed my cheek. "Soon, but not today."

She allowed me to kiss her again before she walked away and went up the stairs.

_Ellie POV_

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry, although both would leave me in hysterics. I had kissed _George_. I know I shouldn't have but it was great. I felt fourteen again, giggly and grinning stupidly at something as mundane as a kiss.

_Ellie you're a grown woman, you've kissed people before. _I told myself.

"Yeah but its noting like kissing George."

Sighing, I picked up my copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and flicked through it lazily, before going to the story at the back.

_Lauren POV_

"Do you think they have books in this place?" I asked Gen as we walked into a shop in Diagon Alley.

"Mmm. Probably." She replied.

The store was a traditional boutique that sold anything from couture dresses to antique vases. I scanned the room for books and found a stack of original manuscripts that were faded and worn.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Magenta read out loud. "First edition I think."

I told her she was a genius and gave her a hug. The manuscript cost 15 galleons, which wasn't all that expensive when I considered how much my mum had left me.

When the others were finished shopping, we returned to the castle and I raced upstairs to what used to be a playroom.

"What you got there then?" James waggled his eyebrows at me in curiosity.

"Just a book." I shrugged in response.

"It looks really old." Rose commented.

"It is. It's an original manuscript of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, I need it to read about one of the stories because it's the reason why my dad wants to kill me."

"I don't think _The Warlocks Hairy Heart_ is really going to help you."

I rolled my eyes and flicked to the back of the book.

"This is the story." I muttered.

"Can you read it to us?" Lily asked sweetly.

I gave James a questioning look, after all, it was his sister. I gestured to Lily and Hugo. "Are they all right to…"

"Oh! Yeah, their very…exposed…to the dangers of the world." Rose confirmed.

I started to read out loud.

_~XC021~_

_Once, when wizards and muggles lived in peace, a great wizard ruled over his land with lots of care. He was considered by many as more powerful and majestic than any other living creature. His wife bared him seven children, six boys and a girl. Every day his sons would argue over who would receive their father's great power and every day the wizard would tell his children that they would all receive a portion of his mighty power. However years passed and still none of his children had gained any power. _

_As winters came and went, the great wizard began to grow old and frail. One day his eldest son constructed a regal chair for his father to sit in for his final days of power. But, blinded by his old age and his love for his son, the wizard didn't know that his son had made the chair so that all his powers were absorbed into it._

_After a week of sitting in this chair the wizard was close to death and asked for all his children to be present. To each of them he gave a little gift, a gem from the chair. The gems all held a fragment of power, just as he had promised many years ago. The gems symbolised what his power could become; jealousy, murder, lust, dishonesty, greed and anger but they didn't know this. However to his youngest child, his daughter, he gave her a beautiful amulet with a small ruby in the centre. Nobody gave it a second glance except the daughter who had always valued her father's items greatly. _

_He told his children he loved them and then he died._

_The sons immediately started fighting over the gems, squabbling over the biggest or the brightest one. And so for many years they were condemned to a life of struggle and unrest and distrust. All the while the wizard's daughter cherished her amulet until one day the ruby in the middle grew bigger and brighter than all the other gems. It was this day that the children realised the amulet fit the centre of the chair, the place where all the good power came from._

_To save her life and protect the amulet, the daughter ran away in the middle of the night and threw the amulet to the furthest corner of the world. And it is said that the true descendent of the wizard's daughter will gain the power that the ruby possesses._

_~XC021~_

"So your father thinks that you are the true descendant of the wizard's daughter?" James broke the silence in the room.

"Oh no, I definitely am the true descendant. The Ryders and the Corems descended from people with powerful magic, the Ryders from a great wizard and the Corems from a fire nymph."

"A fire nymph?" Albus raised his eyebrows.

"Have you ever had a fight with a fire nymph? They're lethal." I smirked. "Anyway, the question is, where's the ruby now."

"I think that's obvious." Magenta spoke up.

I turned and looked her in the eye, it was unusual for her to speak surrounded by so many people, being a selective mute and everything. I followed her gaze down to my wrists where there were two pinprick scars on each. I felt something swirl up in my stomach as I realised what Gen was getting at.

_Ellie POV_

Some time after studying the book, I slammed it closed and ran down to Charlotte's room, knocking on the door repetitively.

She opened the door calmly. "What." She sighed before taking a bite from an apple.

"Joreth won't kill Lauren yet." I explained. "He needs her, he's looking for the ruby."

"What ruby?" She groaned tiredly.

"The one from the story?"

"Oh right, the ruby, what happens if he finds it?"

"Their power is connected, the ruby is Lauren and Lauren is the ruby." I pause to take a deep breath. "If he gets it, she dies."

**Confused? Hopefully you're not but if you are, I really will explain how Lauren and the ruby are connected in the next chapter. But if you send a review I may give you a hint. *wink wink* **

**Subscribe and REVIEW!**

**Ella Bells xx**


	12. Certainly an affair to remember

**First of all, I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I'm updating another chapter soon, I promise. I hope you like this chapter, its my favourite so far for so many reasons. **

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter 12. Certainly an affair to remember~**

_Ellie POV_

Lauren burst into the room about three seconds after Charlotte stumbled back onto her bed. I watched Charlotte carefully, noticing that there was a little storm gathering around her head.

"What's up with her?" Lauren asked, eyes full of concern.

"She's just received some really bad news. She'll be fine." I looked away from her and gave Lauren my full attention. "What can I help you with?"

"I need you to explain something to me. Something about the ruby."

"You read the story."

"Yes." She answered even though it wasn't really a question.

"And you agree that it applies to you?" I clarified.

"It couldn't apply to anyone else. The ruby is valuable, that's why Joreth wants it."

I sighed. "Then we should talk."

Lauren crossed over to the bed and sat down next to Charlotte. "Great. Go."

I shook my head. "This is something everyone needs to know. Give me a week."

_~XC021~_

I sat head buried in a book, ignoring the snide comments Angelina insisted on making. I knew that Lauren was waiting for an answer but the timing had to be right or she wouldn't understand what really happened. A familiar cold burning started up in the pocket of my jeans—the Death Ring making an appearance once more. The cold sensation was less harsh on my finger now that I could produce larger amounts of fire.

I felt an icy chill spread up my arm and when I pulled up my sleeve I saw a message burnt into it. Careful not to draw anyone's attention, I gave the message a second glance and then rolled my sleeve back down and hoped my photographic memory would suffice.

_I don't mind if you tell them the truth. _

Of all the restless souls that tried to contact me, Freya wasn't the most frequent. I got a message at her funeral and another one the day that Lauren started school. It wasn't something that I told Charlotte because I knew she would immediately start thinking about Fred and wondering why he never made contact. And if she started to wonder, there wouldn't be anything I could do to console her because the only legitimate answer as to why Fred never made contact was that he'd moved on.

"So Ellie what exactly do you do? I know you're a Naorta but you're also a boss and from the look of things your job is quite dangerous." Angelina's voice cut into my thoughts.

I closed my book and put it down. "I find and interrogate criminals. Korakov does most of the field work and I tend to stick to the questioning."

"What an interesting choice of profession."

"I just have a very good way of making people talk." I said, with a sweet smile.

_~XC021~_

_George POV_

I watched Angelina go through her usual morning routine. The brushing of her hair, the applying of her makeup, the straightening of her clothes.

"Aren't you getting up today?" She asked me.

"No. I think I'll have a late start." I yawned.

"George if you open the shop late you won't make as much money. I can't do all the work around here we agreed on this."

"The shop is fine. I told you that I hired someone to help run it in the mornings."

Ange bristled and gave me a frosty look. "Ok well from now on you can look after the kids and take them out. I've got work today and Hermione does too so that means Ginny and Charlotte are responsible for looking after the kids again. If you're going to stay at home in the morning then you may as well help out."

I decided it was better to give up than start a fight with her. "Ok, I'll do something with them tomorrow. I promise."

Ange beamed at me. "Thank you." She said kissing me on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

I stayed in bed for another hour before getting up, scrubbing my face and putting on some semi respectable clothes. As I had expected, the kids had eaten all of the breakfast, so I grabbed a pan and searched through the fridge for food. Making breakfast alone was good. It meant I could dance around, listen _my_ music and make a complete mess.

"I really hope you don't dance like that when Roxy and Fred are around."

I dished up my food, flicked my wand at the cupboard and got out an extra plate for Ellie. I set the two plates on the table and motioned for her to sit, whilst I turned down the music.

"You love my dancing."

"I distinctly remember not liking your dancing." She teased, taking a seat.

"Don't lie, you thought it was hot."

She laughed and shook her head. "I thought it was cute and endearing. Besides at the Yule Ball, I was blinded by how handsome you were."

"Were? What's with the past tense, I'm still handsome." I said, mocking offense.

She tucked into her meal. "Well you've become a better cook, that's for sure."

I sat down opposite her and observed the way she was acting. She should have left for work already but judging by the clothes she was wearing, she wasn't planning to.

"Why aren't you at work?" I asked carefully.

"I'm trying to solve this case. I need to make sure I'm right. Last week Lauren wanted to know how she was connected to the ruby. I have to be sure that I've got this right before I say something to her because it's up to me keep up Freya's legacy. I wouldn't feel comfortable tainting that memory, especially as she's not here to defend herself."

"Go with your instinct. It's never let you down."

"Sometimes my instinct doesn't consider other people's feelings. It's never let me down but it's let other people down." She said solemnly.

"You're only human, you can't keep everyone happy all of the time but you do a good job of protecting and loving the people who need it most. When you weren't with me, you had Jess and Gen and I know you love them more than anything else in the world."

"Yeah, I do."

"Then just tell Lauren what she needs to hear. Whatever Freya did, she did out of love and Lauren needs to know the truth so she can fight whatever evil is coming for her."

Ellie took out her wand and levitated the plates over the sink and murmured a washing up charm on the dishes. She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Why do you always know what to say?" She asked with a sly smile.

I leaned forward so that my face was centimetres from hers.

"It's because I know what you need to hear."

She laughed shakily and I gave her a peck on the cheek. Ellie got up and walked round the table towards me. She sat down on my lap and wrapped an arm around my neck, smiling wickedly as she ran her fingers through my hair.

"I've missed you. I've missed all of it. I'd rather have this, than have to leave again and not see you."

I kissed her passionately, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other stroking her hair back. Tracing butterfly kisses down her neck, I played with the bottom of her shirt before starting to lift it up.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ellie whispered breathlessly against my lips.

"Why not?"

"Because right now we're on safe ground. Everything is ok. If we take the dive then we have no idea where we'll end up."

I gave her my most serious face. "Trust me?"

"With my life." She said honestly.

I kissed her again. "Then I promise it'll be ok." I pulled her closer to me. "We'll work it out."

She responded with that daring look that had caught me so many times before. Leaning so close that I thought she was going to kiss me again, Ellie's breath was warm on my ear.

"You'll have to catch me first." She got up and accelerated by fire, she got to the doorway in the blink of an eye. "My new party trick." She explained when I raised an eyebrow.

"And if I catch you..." I said suggestively.

"I'm all yours." She moved lighting fast and I heard footsteps on the landing on the third floor. "I'm waiting." She called seductively and that was all the encouragement I needed to leave the kitchen.

**...well you know what happens next. So will Angelina find out? Will Ellie and George continue their affair? Find out soon!**

**Until next time...Subscribe and REVIEW!**

**Ella Bells xx**


	13. I see wings

**Hey, thank you for all the reviews last chapter! I'm glad you liked it so much! Hopefully you'll like this one just as much! This is where the references to Flight of Fire really begin so if you haven't read it, go do that now! Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 13. I see wings~**

_Ellie POV_

I curled up, head rested on George's chest. He brushed a few strands of hair out of my face and rubbed my shoulder soothingly.

"This is wrong." I exhaled deeply. "You realise that right?"

"That this is an affair with the person I fell in love with over twenty years ago and in most civilisations this is frowned upon? I could not be more aware." He muttered sarcastically.

"We could both hurt people with this. We need to be careful."

George traced a line down from the curve of my neck and came to a rest on my hip. I relaxed into him, knowing that he wanted me to be less tense.

"I promise nobody is going to get hurt." He assured me and gave me a squeeze. "I could lie here with you all day." He breathed.

I squeezed him back. "I could too." I smiled as an idea popped into my head. "Here's the deal, I'll lie here with you but you have to let me get some work done."

"No promises." George laughed lightly.

_~XC021~_

Lauren sat opposite me, glaring in a way similar to how Charlotte often glared at me. I gave her an even look trying to decide how best to approach what was a very delicate situation.

"It's been a week." Lauren said bluntly.

"It has." I said slightly condescendingly.

"Will you tell me now? Please?"

I leaned back. "What do you know about necromancy?"

"Death magic?" Lauren's confident demeanour faded.

I nodded. "I think that Freya performed some sort of soul exchange between you and the ruby so that the ruby is in you and you are in the ruby. You're connected."

"The scars on my wrist…"

"The scars are from the exchange. If Freya did the exchange when you were only a few days old then Joreth wouldn't notice. You would pale slightly and grow a bit slower but Freya could blame that on any number of infections that new-borns contract."

"So my dad doesn't know? He's still searching for the ruby as a material thing?"

"The ruby does exist as a material thing. If Joreth finds it and uses the ruby, he could suck the very essence from you. Alternatively he could kill you first because it would make the ruby more powerful and it would make his life a lot easier." I talked with ease, trying to make light of the situation.

Lauren stared at the little pinprick marks on her wrists. "Where is the ruby?"

"I don't know. Somewhere far away probably. I think Freya produced a number of copies but by now Joreth would know that they're all fake."

Lauren loosely crossed her legs, suddenly calm. "What do we do now?"

I looked at her and decided to answer honestly. "We wait."

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

I smiled as I felt the cold wet glass tickle my toes, not even caring about the mud. The weather was still chilly and the ground covered in a thin layer of leaves. The path seemed long but I didn't want to run, I wanted to slow life down, that had always been a problem, life always moved to fast.

Finally I was there. I grinned happily and lay down on the grass, turning to face him.

"Sorry it's been so long. I've been very busy, Lauren's father is back, making a mess of everything. Ellie's back over here for definite now and her and George are playing nice. She'll come by soon, I promise."

I looked at the cool grey stone that marked Fred's grave and the beautiful quote that still glowed like it was lit on fire. _It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. _

"We could use some light right now. Sometimes I feel like it's an impossible task but after everything we've been through I don't think it's fair for me to complain. I do miss you, I miss you a lot but these, our darkest moments, are the times that I cling to you. You are the light Fred, you are the light that I focus on."

_~XC021~_

_Fred POV_

I opened my eyes. _Where the hell am I_? I had been happily talking to Tonks and Lupin one moment and then _poof!_ I had gone. The new place was much nicer though and I thought that maybe someone had finally processed my request for relocation. It was a modern plaza with theme sectors that seemed to spiral out forever. There was something for everyone, books, nature, technology, Quidditch, lots and lots of Quidditch.

"Well done Freddie, finally got yourself out of purgatory." I joked to myself.

"Hey Fred!"

At a first glance I thought I saw Charlotte waving me over but after careful squinting I noticed that the hair was long auburn brown not short and black as night.

"Freya?" I said, walking over to her. "Where am I?"

"The plaza." Freya said simply, looking slightly agitated. "Fred, I can't stay long, the gatekeeper wants me to go back."

"The gatekeeper?"

Freya stared into my eyes so intently I couldn't turn away. "You need to get back into their reality, Fred. The gatekeeper lives in a cave to the north, find him and he will tell you what you need to know."

Freya started to fade and I panicked. "What reality? Where do I need to go?"

Her form was almost transparent. "To the cave Fred and good luck."

Then she disappeared. I cursed out loud. "Ok Freddie boy, to the cave." I muttered to myself.

And then I saw it, two faded silver angel wings that creaked as they flapped, almost as if they were made of metal. Keeping them together was a large black stone and an intricately molded cross. I knew exactly what it was and breathed a sigh of relief—_thank you Ellie._

**Dun, dun, duuuunnn! Yeah, just thought I'd spring that on you. Yay Freddie's back! Woop woop! But the question is why and who the hell is this gatekeeper? The plot thickens...**

**Tell me what you think! Subscribe and REVIEW!**

**Ella Bella xx**


	14. I walk around a cave

**Woo! Next chapter up quite quickly! Cheeky to ask for more reviews? Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter 14. I walk around a cave~**

_Ellie POV_

A queasy feeling spread through my stomach and I ran to the bathroom. I held a hand against my stomach and took quick breaths to steady myself. I gripped the bath rails as another bout of sickness came over me.

"Hey, Ellie?" George called me from the landing and I assumed he'd just woken up.

"Just a sec."

Our secret relationship—an affair made it sound so much worse than it was—had been going on for three weeks now. On the days that George could get away with it he went into work later and on other days we'd meet up for lunch. I alternated between going to work and working from castle. And through all of this Angelina was none the wiser.

When I had sorted myself out I left the bathroom and walked over George. He went in for a kiss but I turned my head so he got my cheek instead.

"Not really in the mood." I muttered when he raised his eyebrows.

He nodded and pulled me in for a hug. "Anything in particular?" He asked still hugging me.

"Dunno. I feel a bit ill but it's probably nothing. I never get ill."

_~XC021~_

I sat in the living room of my house in Kappa Bridge, tired after a day of doing absolutely nothing. I needed to sleep but a wave of nausea crept in. I groaned. I never got ill. As I looked up at the ceiling I reflected over everything that had happened recently and if there was anything that could've caused the sudden sickness.

I did a quick mental scan and realised that there was something fundamental that I hadn't noticed was missing.

"Oh God, that's bad."

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

I paced the room three times over. Where had she gone? Why had she gone? Of course I knew it wasn't permanent and she'd be back within a week, maybe sooner.

"Why didn't she leave a note?" I said, trying to keep the anger and desperation out of my voice.

_Charlotte calm down, you are not having a mental breakdown with kids around. _

"She probably had to go quickly. You know what her memory's like there was probably some meeting that she was supposed to be at." Korakov said rationally.

"She still could've left a note. What if people stop by?"

"People like who?" Ange interrupted. "Everyone who would visit her is right here."

I gave her a cold glare but decided against saying anything.

"_People_ won't stop by. I'll tell them today that she's away." Korakov assured me. "Let me know when she gets back, I need her signature."

"Will do." I promised her before she gathered her things and left the castle.

Knowing that busying myself was the best course of action, I went into the kitchen and started the washing up. Losing Ellie now wasn't an option. There was a bigger picture to think about that stretched so much further than Lauren and Joreth. Her destiny had been set out long before Harry's and so had mine. I had always been the one responsible for keeping her grounded and making sure that she was in a stable frame of mind. I couldn't afford for her to be feeling lost and insecure again.

All those years ago when I was told what she'd become. She was prophesied to become the most powerful Corem of all. She'd become the first one to produce the blue flame, a flame to end all others. It wasn't something that I could tell her. It was a secret that I had kept with me since I was ten and there was still no sign of her fire getting any stronger. Then I remembered what Freya had predicted: _"No other will equal her in strength and no other will equal her in mind. The floodgates shall open and the water shall fall. Then the world will succumb to fire. The reign of flame shall begin."_

_~XC021~_

I jumped at the sound of the doorbell, hoping that it would be Ellie but knowing that it wasn't. Ange got to the door quicker than me though and was talking in her disapproving tone. I readied my wand just in case.

"Here to see you apparently, claiming to be your goddaughter." Ange said bluntly.

I looked up and a huge beam spread across my face. "Hey Riz!"

I got up and gave her a hug, squeezing her tightly until she very politely told me I was crushing her ribs. Then I remembered that Riz wouldn't visit unless it was an emergency.

"Are you ok?" I completely ignored the fact that Angelina was muttering darkly under her breath about strangers.

"I'm great. How are you?" She said cheerily.

"You know Ellie's not here right?" I clarified.

"Yeah I know, she left me a note. I ran out of meds yesterday and I was wondering if you had spares."

Rizzo was fairly tall with tan skin, copper hair and eyes the colour of liquid gold. She was stunning to look at, features that should've been unnatural making her the most wanted model _ever_—and she wasn't even a model. She was a sick person though and the lace gloves on her hands masked her one flaw: she was allergic to heat. A combination of drugs and temperature control gloves meant that she could walk outside without burning up but she couldn't be exposed to a naked flame or spend long periods of time bathing in direct sunlight.

"Yeah I've got some in my bag." I summoned my handbag and dug around for her medication. I handed it to her. "Make sure you order some more today." I said sternly.

"I will." She said dutifully. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."

Angelina cleared her throat loudly. "I couldn't help but hear you say that Ellie left _you_ a note. Why?"

"Oh, I'm her…adopted daughter. She told me just in case there was an emergency or something. She also thought that Gen might go into a bit of a panic so I promised I'd talk to her. I'm Rizzo by the way!"

Ange looked taken aback by Riz's happy go lucky charm and I smiled to myself.

"What a lovely name." Hermione complimented her.

"Thank you." She said taking a seat. "Its Italian."

"How can Ellie have an adopted daughter? You look what eighteen?" Ange said suspiciously.

"Nineteen." Riz corrected. "My birthday was last week."

"She would barely have been eighteen." Ange narrowed her eyes.

"It wasn't a planned adoption." I explained. "It was a right place, right time deal."

Riz gave me a grin. "Nice that you put a positive spin on this one."

"What's the medication for?" Angelina continued her bombardment of questions.

"Its complicated." Was all she said.

Hermione put down her reading book and stood up. "It's lovely to meet you Rizzo. Would you like to stay for tea?"

_~XC021~_

_Fred POV_

The entrance of the cave loomed in front of me, the branches of the trees stretched across it in an attempt to mask its vastness. It didn't have a door or a window so I thought I'd just waltz right in. After twenty or so metres, candles started to line the wall of the cave. I followed the line of candles until the walls started to open out even more and I started to see familiar objects—rugs, photos and books.

I wondered why I had travelled so deep into the cave without anyone crossing my path. I couldn't help but consider that I was going to be ambushed. Then I saw someone, two people, a man and a woman. I recognised the man. He had shoulder length black hair, dark skin and eyes that appeared as though they used to burn like flames. It wasn't his eyes that were the giveaway though, it was his curls. He was unmistakeably related to Ellie.

"Are you the gatekeeper?" I asked.

"No." He replied.

"But I am."

I looked at the woman carefully. She had the type of face that told you she was very beautiful in youth and I couldn't help but be reminded of Flis. Her red hair tumbled down to her lower back and her eyes were a cool blue.

"I was told to look for you." I felt nervous in the presence of who were probably two very powerful people—even in the afterlife.

"By Freya." The woman nodded. "I am Catherine and this is my husband Timothy."

"I'm Fred." I said offering my hand. "Freya said she wasn't allowed to stay in the Plaza. What is the Plaza exactly?"

"The Plaza is a fast expanse of everything. All that you can imagine in one single place. Freya's a messenger, a guide at times, that gives her privileges but not a residency. The Plaza is for important people within the system." Timothy said simply.

"The afterlife has a system?" I was a little unconvinced, after all a bunch of souls milling around chatting to each other didn't seem like much of a system.

"Of course." He responded. "Who do you think processes requests?"

I shook my head in dismissal and turned back to Catherine. "Apparently I need to get back into Charlotte's reality, why?"

"The floodgates shall open and the water shall fall." Catherine said. "We need something stronger than fear, Fred, we need hope. Strength is unlocked by hope not fear. You are Charlotte's strength, Fred, you are Charlotte's hope."

**Awww, I love writing from Fred's POV again. I've missed it. So...what's up with Ellie? I wanna know what you think! Anyway, I promise I'll update soon! **

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**Ella Bella xx**

**(Review, please, you know you want to!)**


	15. My mother is an evil witch

**The next chapter woooo! Faster updates! Just thought you guys should know that I am revising like hell at the same time so if updates start to slow down again, you know why. Anyway last chapter we were with Charlotte whilst Ellie was gone. What happens next? You're about to find out. **

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter 15. My mother is an evil witch (and not in the obvious way)~**

_Fred POV_

"Ok so how does this thing work?" I sat on a patterned rug with a steaming cup of tea.

"You need someone with enough power to open the gates from the other side." Catherine explained, sitting opposite me.

"Any ideas who that is?" I said, taking a sip from my mug.

"Yes." She said almost gravely. "Lauren Ryder."

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

No amount of wishful thinking was going to get me out of this one. _Well Ellie, that's karma for you. _I wasn't going to break down in tears, that would be ridiculous but at a memorial service I wouldn't have looked completely out of place. Pinning what little hair I had into a semi-respectable do, I got up to leave my house.

I pulled out a breakfast bar from my bag and started to eat it, guiltily knowing that it was my third one that day. After I had finished it, I dropped by my office in the Ministry to sign a few papers and then apparated to a hall in Levingway, a little town on the outskirts of Cornwall.

"Where the hell have you been?"

As soon as I arrived, Charlotte was at my side, hissing in my ear about how worried I'd made her.

"I'm not talking to irrational Charlotte." Was all I said in reply.

"I am rational!" She argued.

"No you're upset, which is perfectly reasonable considering what's going on today and everything but you're not completely rational. I won't argue with you in your current emotional state."

"Thanks." She said sarcastically.

"No problem." I retorted.

I bit down on my lip and a hand flew to my stomach as a wave of nausea came over me.

"You alright?" She gave me a concerned sideways glance.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Half ten."

That made sense—the sickness didn't tend to pass until around eleven. I carefully rubbed my stomach with my thumb and followed Charlotte into the building.

"You sure you're ok?" She asked again. "You look a little peaky."

"It'll pass." I said, sitting down heavily.

Walking up the isle behind us were the Potter family and the Weasley family. Percy, Bill, Fleur and Mr and Mrs Weasley all looked taken aback by my appearance there. For all previous memorials I had attended in disguise so none of them had seen me in almost twenty years. They were all very polite about it though, greeting me kindly, asking how I was. I hoped that I didn't look too awful but knowing my luck I probably did.

_Charlotte POV_

Memorial services—especially ones held for the victims of the Battle of Hogwarts—were always tragically sad. I didn't feel as upset any more though. I had reached the stage where I could think and talk about him without crying or feeling a lump in my throat. I held on to the happiness not the pain and that was the way we all lived without him.

The speakers this time included McGonagall, Hagrid, Harry and Kingsley, with the key organisers being Sofia Ryder, my mother, and Mella Corem, Ellie's mother. I prayed that we wouldn't bump into either of them at the small after party but I knew I wouldn't be so lucky.

"Ellie." Mella called as soon as we stepped into the lush gardens of the Levingway Hall.

"Mother." Ellie replied with very little enthusiasm.

"You do come off so bitter my dear child."

"And I got it all from you."

Angelina, who had trotted up to us with George and the others, seemed at a loss for words as Mella was doing most of the uncomfortable malicious comment making for her.

"Ellie you're looking healthy and well." Sofia said kindly.

"Yes, Sofie, she has such a healthy glow." Mella smiled darkly.

Ellie shot her a glare that would cause bodies to turn over in their graves. I took the opportunity to introduce everyone and hopefully decrease the tension. It didn't work all that well.

"I love that dress Ellie, is that one size fits all, only you're beginning to look a little on the chubby side."

I refrained from launching myself at Mella. I hated her, I really did. She had a negative effect on all of us, she constantly tried to make me angry, she made my mother selfishly manipulative and she made sure my dad was never invited anywhere. To Ellie though, she was particularly cruel and knowing that it made my blood boil just meant that she worked even harder to make Ellie's life hell.

"Oh look I think that's Korakov over there. Excuse me mother."

_~XC021~_

I watched Ellie from a distance whilst she talked to Emephile, her stance much more relaxed. I didn't usually listen in on her conversations but I was worried about her behaviour and apparently so was Korakov. I moved slightly closer and started to talk to Pansy who was actually a lot nicer now.

"You ok." Korakov asked Ellie, noticing that her hand was rubbing her stomach again.

"I'm fine."

"Nah, you're not. I know that look."

Ellie laughed shakily. "I don't know what you mean."

"That was the look I had during my first trimester. Morning sickness is hell right?" She nodded.

I looked carefully over Pansy's shoulder so I could see Ellie's reaction. Emephile was being stupid, Ellie couldn't be pregnant. How could she be pregnant?

"I'm not pregnant, Emephile. I'm just feeling a little ill that's all. Definitely not pregnant."

Despite her attempts to convince Korakov, she wasn't fooling me. It made perfect sense, her Mum's comments, the way she disappeared last week, the way her hand was always at her stomach. Her reaction to Korakov only supported the idea. For a perfect liar she was struggling to keep this one under wraps.

Then I heard the words that assured me of everything.

"I don't know." Ellie finally admitted. "I feel pregnant but there have always been complications and I don't want to get my hopes up because I don't know if it's really going to happen. I don't know if I'll even get to that stage."

**Soooo interesting chapter. I'd just like to say thank you to Charlotte for helping me with the ending of this chapter because I had writer's block. Check out her stories if you have a chance, her name is GirlWhoWonTheDoctorsHearts **

**Anyway tell me what you think of this chapter! You know what to do! Subscribe and REVIEW!**

**Ella Bella xx**


	16. I pee on a stick

**Heyy guys I have another chapter for you. I hope you enjoy! (I updated even though I have exams, that warrants reviews right? :D)**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 16. I pee on a stick~**

_Ellie POV_

The sound of a key in the lock caught my attention and I put my work things to the side. Knowing it was Charlotte, I pulled out my wand, flicked it around the mess that was my home office and straightened my clothes. She called up and I responded to tell her I was upstairs.

She pushed open my office door and I leaned back, giving her my best scrutinising boss glare. She waved a little box at me and from the look on her face, I knew she meant business.

"What?" I asked.

"You pee on it." She said bluntly.

I pursed my lips. "I know what you do with it. I'm just wondering why you're giving it to me."

"Have you taken a test yet? And don't even think about lying to me."

I gave her a look of exasperation but went to take the test anyway. Five to ten minutes later I was sitting next to Charlotte staring at the pregnancy test.

"It's positive." I said staring at it blankly. There it was, solid proof that I really was pregnant and I could no longer try to deny it. "I'm definitely pregnant."

"Which we already knew." Charlotte muttered quickly, clearing the test off of the desk and taking out a huge file full of papers.

"Charlotte what's going on?" I said, cocking my head to the side.

"Look I heard what you said to Emephile and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you have this baby."

"I just don't want to have another miscarriage."

"People say that if a person is meant to be pregnant then they will be pregnant. That pregnancy was about seven years ago and it wasn't planned."

"Neither was this."

"But its George and you two are meant to be together. You are having this baby and whatever happens she/he/it will be fine."

Charlotte was staring intently into my eyes, begging me to listen to her. She knew that when I lost the baby seven years ago it had caused me to relapse and I was in an even deeper state of depression. She just didn't want me to go back to that.

"What's in the file?"

Her face broke into a happy smile and she finally pulled up a chair so she could sit down.

"We're going to get through this together ok. First things first, let's sort out your appointments."

_~XC021~_

_Albus POV_

A neatly written letter was folded up on my bed, the light wind from the open window threatening to take it away. Picking it up, I saw that it was from Magenta, telling me to meet her down by the greenhouse, just one of the seven buildings in the castle's extensive gardens. Grinning to myself, I grabbed my jacket and hurried outside to see her.

_Lauren POV_

The news that my father not only wanted to kill me but also had the means to do so didn't rest lightly on my shoulders. The connection to the ruby was dangerous. It had my life, I had its power. I felt a little angry at my mother for being so unpractical but I guess she was hoping that he'd never go searching for the ruby.

I needed to talk to Ellie about training and I knew if I showed her my skills she wouldn't mind teaching me a few more tricks. During my earlier training, Ellie was famous amongst the kids—everyone knew that she was an awesome fighter and a strategist during the Battle of Hogwarts. I'd wanted to be taught by her when I was younger but teaching wasn't really her thing. Maybe now she'd finally do it.

I wondered what Gen wanted. She had asked to meet me at the greenhouse, which was an odd request. Gen shared a room with me, if she wanted to talk then she'd do it there—after all we did share a psychic link so she wouldn't have to talk out loud.

Treading carefully, I made sure that Charlotte wouldn't ambush me—as she had the tendency to do when I tried to leave the building (even if it was to go outside). Gently pushing open the back gates, I found myself faced with a three acre garden with outhouses dotting the land.

When I opened the door to the greenhouse a slight feeling of rage washed over me. I liked Albus, I really did. I liked the fact that he made Gen smile and that he kept James out of my hair but I didn't appreciate him always being around. Gen noticed my narrowed eyes and rolled her own.

"Don't be jealous Lauren." She teased.

"What is it?" I said, my voice a little harsher than I'd hoped.

"I think you both need to talk. I didn't really think about it until now but it's a bit odd that two people who didn't know each other had the same dream."

"What are you talking about?" I felt something tugging at the corner of my mind though and a part of me knew what she was getting at.

"The dream with chair." Albus said slowly.

"It was the Wizard's Chair. What is it Gen, my dreams aren't prophetic. If I dream bad things it doesn't mean anything."

"Yeah but if two dream it, two powerful people…"

"I get it, Albus is special but he isn't _special_." I said carefully.

Magenta smoothed her clothes; the way she did when was agitated. "I told you that I see the future. I don't know what happens with the ruby and I don't know what happens with you but I do know Albus plays an instrumental part. Not just in this, Lauren, in everything."

I knew she was telling the truth. This changed everything. I had to be trained, there was no question about it, because I would not be killed by my father. When I faced him at the Wizard's Chair I would not be the one to die.

_~XC021~_

_Deep inside St. Mungo's_

"Beryl!"

"What is it Irene?"

The older nurse stepped away from her patient and walked down the isle to see the new nurse. She was peering through the glass at a women who slept there morning till night.

"A coma patient. Do not waste your time on her, she hasn't moved in almost twelve years now."

The younger nurse shook her head. "Her fingers moved. They just moved."

Beryl opened the door to the sectioned off room and moved to the bed. Temperature was as usual and heartbeat normal. There was no change in brain activity.

She looked at Irene sympathetically. "Coma patients move sometimes. It doesn't mean that they'll wake."

The two nurses exited the room, bustling off to go and see the Longbottoms. They didn't even notice that the patient twitched her fingers and turned her head. In a sudden movement her body jerked forward and her eyes opened.

She balled her hand into a fist and stretched her mind outwards. _Sister dearest, guess who's back. Do you miss me?_

_Ellie POV_

I sat reading through Joreth's files again. I wanted to familiarise myself with his life and his story, hoping that it would give me something that would help. I was quite content just reading, despite the fact that I was surrounded by an entire room full of people.

Something started pounding in my head though and a steady throbbing began to build. I frowned to myself and went to get a drink of water. It didn't help though. The pain only intensified and I knew there was something very wrong. All at once the truth slammed into me and I gasped, dropping the glass.

Charlotte rushed in at the sound. "What is it? What's wrong?"

I looked down at the glass and couldn't help but be reminded of my own life. It was lying there in pieces, my sanity barely intact.

My unusually cool gold eyes returned to their natural state of liquid fire and when I spoke I could feel the power of all my ancestors rising in my throat.

"It's Riley." I said. "She's awake."

**So Riley's awake. Is she back to cause trouble? Who knows. Anyway so many things to take in this chapter, so tell me what you think. **

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**Ella Bella xx**


	17. I spy with my little eye

**Next chapter is here...finally! Fans of the Hunger Games be sure to check out my new fic, White Roses, and vote on my poll! **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 17. I spy with my little eye~**

_Angelina POV_

As with most things in life, timing was everything. I needed to wait until I had proof that something was going on so in the meantime I was going to have to make Ellie as uncomfortable as possible. Eventually she was going to crack, eventually she would have to admit to what she was doing with my husband. Of course George was as much to blame as her and I would deal with him in the appropriate manner later on. First though, I needed evidence.

My decision to meet him for lunch wasn't even a conscious one. We hadn't spent time alone together since Christmas and even that was interrupted by the appearance of Ellie. It annoyed me that ex-girlfriends couldn't stay away. It was as if they were programmed to stop everyone else from being happy.

I walked into the shop hoping to surprise him. As expected it was full of people rushing in and out before their break finished. There were advertisements for his new product plastered everywhere and his two members of staff looked swamped.

"Where's George?"

The young boy pulled out what I thought to be an invisible earphone—trust George to come up with that one. "Huh." He said stupidly.

"George, your boss." I said slowly. "Where is he?"

He frowned at me, obviously unimpressed by the fact that I talked to him like he was a moron but from what I'd observed of him, he was a moron.

"Uh, gone out." He said, scratching his head as if trying to remember something. "For lunch." He added at the end.

"With anyone in particular?" I asked.

"Yeah with a friend, they had to go check something out." He seemed to sense my next question because he added: "Pretty, eyes like flames and about this tall." He said, indicating what I knew to be Ellie's height.

Thinking that it would be best if George didn't know about my little interrogation, I cast a memory wipe on the boy and then left the shop. For a moment, I didn't know what to do and then I remembered that I needed evidence—_let's go spy on Ellie. _

_Ellie POV_

A distressing warning bell was sounding off in my head and I look around carefully to make sure we weren't going to be ambushed. A full scan of the surroundings complete, I ignored the thrumming in my head and sat down opposite George with a glass of Pumpkin juice.

"Not in a coffee mood?" He teased.

I subconsciously rubbed my thumb along my stomach. "I've gone off coffee recently."

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Us." I said bluntly.

He sighed and leaned back, giving off so much negative attitude that I could practically hear him screaming it mentally.

"What's wrong with us, Ellie?" George said, pulling a face that wasn't dissimilar to a child when they're told Christmas has been cancelled.

"I just don't think it's a good idea, that's all. It could cause problems." I took a deep breath. "It already has caused problems."

A look of panic flashed across his face and when he spoke there was a suspicious edge to his voice. "What's that supposed to mean? What's happened?"

I looked at him sadly and shook my head, trying not to get too emotional—but that was the problem with pregnancy hormones, they kept making me want to burst into tears. When I didn't answer he took my hands in his, stroking them gently.

"Ellie what's wrong? Are you leaving again?"

I shook my head, eyes brimming with tears. And that was all it took. One single drop of water falling down my cheek and he was sitting on the chair next to me, arm wrapped around my shoulders. I laughed a little when he tried to brush the tears from my face.

"I'm fine." I managed to hiccup. "Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me."

Despite the fact that I was smiling, he still carried on holding me. He gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and a quick squeeze.

"I'm not leaving." I said. "I'm just going through a tough time."

"You know that you don't have to break up with me every time things get difficult. I'm here to look after you."

I looked up at him and nestled my head in the crook of his neck. I wanted to kiss him but I didn't want to push my luck in public.

"You don't give up do you?" I relaxed into him, calmer now that I could feel him, the steady rise and fall of his chest soothing me.

"I lost you once, Ellie, there's no way I'm losing you again."

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

"Convict XC021 strikes again."

My eyes snapped into focus and locked onto Angelina, who was reading the Daily Prophet. I hadn't been concentrating properly up until that point—I was too busy concentrating on my life. I was considering what options I had for myself and Lauren. My mother had sent a letter a day after Riley woke up saying that she was coming back, meaning that I was going to have to move out. Lauren and I would be homeless if I didn't work out what I was going to do with my life. I had to decide whether to continue travelling or to finally settle down.

I listened to Angelina continue her reading of the newspaper.

"An attack in the muggle dwelling of Buckinghamshire has left buildings destroyed and 40 people, including 17 wizards, seriously injured…"

My gaze slowly wondered over to Ellie who was sitting there eyes narrowed and forehead creased.

"Know anything about this?" I said, trying not to sound accusing.

Ellie gave me an intense glare. "Not. My. Division." She said through gritted teeth.

Her frustration at my question was clear but I could tell she wasn't lying so I let it go. Unfortunately, Angelina didn't.

"Not your division?" She questioned.

"I don't support the case so I choose not to work on it and besides Naorta closed her file years ago, the Ministry should do the same." Ellie said rationally.

"You don't support the case?" Hermione asked, eyebrows raised—the unsolved case of Convict XC021 seemed like something Ellie would've been interested in.

"There's just something twisted about Aurors chasing after a heavily pregnant woman. Just think about what that could've done to the baby."

"The baby was probably already brain dead from whatever that woman was smoking. The poor thing probably didn't even live to see her first sunset. A miscarriage is only a minor punishment for those who've sinned. She should've refrained from murder and kept her legs closed."

In one quick motion Ellie was out the door and could be heard disapparating with a faint _pop_. Angelina's eyebrows shot up in shock and I decided to come to Ellie's defence.

"Miscarriages are a bit of a touchy subject." I said simply, in an 'end of topic' way. "I'm gonna go see if she's ok."

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I sat holding a cup of herbal tea, my legs stretched out across the sofa. I tried to take comfort in the fact that in about two weeks I would get my first scan and I'd know that baby—who I'd nicknamed bumpkin—is fine.

I was vaguely aware of Charlotte in my house, talking to me and telling me that my constant disappearing act wasn't good for Gen.

"Riley isn't good for Gen." I muttered as a counter argument.

"Riley's been awake for weeks and hasn't so much as disturbed us." Charlotte's eyes widened slightly and I knew she had come up with an idea. "Unless…Riley had something to do with the attack."

I shook my head. "She's been in a coma for almost twelve years—this attack was too complex for her."

"So you think it has something to do with the Convict?" The worry on Charlotte's face was obvious.

"Maybe." I said. "But not the real Convict. I think someone's trying to resurrect the past."

**Dun, dun duuuuuunn. Yeah not the most interesting chapter but still full of surprises! I promise you next chapter will have some serious drama. **

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**Ella Bella xx**

**Don't forget to check out White Roses and vote on my poll. Please review!**


	18. I float in a building

**Sorry for the long delay, I've had boring exams. Anyway if you don't already know, I'm writing a new fic called White Roses, so if you like the Hunger Games please read, review and vote on the poll!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 18. I float in a building~**

_Lauren POV_

_I was floating through a building, a building I recognised. The halls were narrow—single file only—and the windows were box sized. The main source of light came from the rows of candles that levitated off the ground and the only heat came from underground fans. Shadows clung to the walls and as I touched them, they clung to me. _

_I hadn't been to this place in such a long time, it was almost foreign to me. I forgot where the wall curved around or where steps appeared in the ground. Time seemed to move slowly and hours passed before I made it to an attic room at the top of the building. I circled the room twice and saw that it was empty. There was no chair, no trail of jewels, no sign of my father. Something was wrong. _

_This was a dream but I was manipulating it. I was fully conscious and completely in control of my actions. _

"_Dad are you here?" I called, peering into the shadows. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." _

"_You should not be here." A voice said. "Return to your own dream."_

_I frowned in concentration. Where was he? Why couldn't I see him? If he could also manipulate the dream then he could shield himself. He could shield the chair._

"_Leave child, run away. My plan has been compromised." My dad's voice was suddenly very close and I could feel his breath on my neck._

"_Why are you doing this? Why do you hate me?" I screamed at the darkness. "I was just a baby and you wanted to kill me. You wanted to kill me over a stupid story."_

"_My dear little Lauren." He said in a haunting voice. "I don't act out of hate, I act out of love."_

_Two hands hit my shoulders and I was pushed back. Even after he let go, I continued to fall backwards into the wall. I braced myself for the impact._

I woke up with a gasp and grabbed onto my bedcovers. Magenta turned her head at me but didn't say a word. She made a motion for me to follow her downstairs and I looked around the room before I made my decision. Everyone was sleeping and peaceful and I didn't want to disturb them.

"I can dreamwalk." I told her when we left the room.

Gen nodded. "Apparently Freya could too, that's probably where you get it from."

"My dad was there. Only he didn't kill me this time. He told me to run away."

"To get out of the dream?"

I casually shrugged, it meant something different. He wasn't just talking about the dream, he was talking about real life and even though he wanted to kill me, I trusted him. I wasn't about to tell Gen that though, she'd think I was insane.

"Yeah something like that." I lied.

"Was Albus there this time?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.

"No." I said, running a hand though my hair, ready to go back to bed. "The chair is in Lakewood. I was moving through the school in my dream and Ellie said that there was unusual activity around there."

"We should tell her. In the morning, obviously."

I looked at her and I knew that if I left, I'd miss her. I'd miss Charlotte too and Ellie. I gave myself a mental shake. _You're staying here Lauren, you are not leaving them._ In my heart though, I knew I was.

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I wriggled so I could nestle my head deeper into George's shoulder without putting pressure on my stomach.

"We're all going out tomorrow, you coming with us?"

Tomorrow was the day of my first scan, all the official pregnancy stuff started then. Maybe I'd get to see the baby, maybe I wouldn't—I didn't really know how these things worked.

"Sorry, I'm busy tomorrow." I said truthfully.

He gently rubbed my arm. "Hey can I ask you something?"

I would've laughed but there was a serious edge to his voice. "Anything." I leaned up so I could see his face.

"Charlotte said miscarriages were a bit of a touchy subject with you."

"That's not a question." I slumped back down and sighed.

"You know what I'm asking."

I didn't really want to tell him, mainly because it was something I still didn't want to tell myself.

"Seven years ago I was with a guy. We'd been together for a few months and I accidently got pregnant. It didn't work out but we stayed in contact because of the baby. I lost little baby at six weeks."

His hand instinctively went to my stomach and I sucked in a deep breath. I prayed that he couldn't feel the small bump that had developed there. If he thought that something was wrong, he didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's not your fault." I smiled sadly.

"I know. You just deserve to be happy, that's all."

He kissed me softly on the head and pulled me closer.

"I'm happy now." I whispered against him.

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

Even though I was working at the shop, it didn't feel like hard work. When I'd stopped travelling, Ollivander had taken me on as his apprentice before he died. He passed his shop onto me and since then I had changed the layout.

It looked similar to how I worked at home. In the back room was my office which was a complete mess with wand cores and papers strew across the desk. The front room was an open plan, deep emerald green shop floor that displayed both wands and magical weaponry. Several plush sofas lined the walls and a stack of magazines sat next to them.

I was always busy by early afternoon and although I had four members of staff helping me, I still felt swamped. The next customer who came and sat at my consulting desk was a schoolgirl and her mum.

"Hi." I smiled cheerily.

"Hello." The girl smiled back. "I'm here for a new wand."

I nodded and pulled out a form from my draw. "If mum could fill that in whilst we talk." I said, handing over the form.

"What was wrong with the last wand?" I asked.

The mother looked up at me. "It's very powerful. I just don't think she's ready for a wand like that, maybe when she gets a little older."

"Ok well we can get you a custom wand. It'll do its job but because it didn't choose you, it won't have quite the same feel."

Both the mother and daughter agreed that the custom wand would be better until she was at least a 5th year. I took the measurements of the girl's wand hand, I asked her what subject she was stronger in, which core best described her personality and which wood felt the lightest in her hand.

"I'll have that for you by the end of the week." I beamed and waved them off.

I was just about to greet another customer when the phone rang. I sprinted over to go and answer it.

"Hello, Ollivander and Ryder Wands, how may I help you?" I said in my rehearsed tone.

"It's George."

"Oh hey, how are you?" I took it into the back room and sat down on my desk.

"I'm great. Listen Charlotte something's wrong with Ellie."

I noticed the urgency in his voice and frowned. "Where are you?"

"At the castle."

"I'm fine." Ellie muttered in the background, her voice constricted.

"She was fine and then she just crippled over in pain. I was going to take her to St. Mungo's but she told me she didn't need to go."

"No, I'll have to drive her."

"Why?"

"I'll explain on the way there." I replied. "Be ready for when I get there."

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I felt ridiculous lying there in a hospital bed. I'd told Charlotte that it wasn't _that_ sort of pain but the healers wanted to check, just in case.

I rubbed my stomach. "You're fine. I know you're ok, little bumpkin."

When George, Charlotte and the healers came in with results, I was fully conscious, sitting up and reading a file I had managed to sneak into my bag. Thanks to the drip I was hooked up to, I couldn't feel a lot of pain.

George put an arm around my shoulders, still utterly clueless about the fact that I was pregnant.

"Well it was a mild kidney infection. It can start of like any other pregnancy cramp so you probably just ignored it."

George's grip tightened a little bit and his body tensed up. "Is everything ok though?"

The healer flickered her eyes to him. "We did a quick scan—she'll have a proper one tomorrow like she was supposed to—and mother and baby look fine to us."

The male healer next to her coughed lightly. "Oh." She said and blushed as if she'd made a mistake.

I perked up. "What?" I almost yelled.

"I got that wrong—mother and _babies_ are fine." She grinned. "Congratulations, you're having twins!"

_~XC021~_

"You're pregnant." George said emotionlessly in the car on the way back. "That's why you wanted to break up with me, that's why Charlotte didn't want you to apparate, that's why your mother said those things."

"I'm sorry." Was all I could think of to say.

"What were you going to do when your bump became noticeable?"

"Move away for a few months and then come back and say little bumpkin here was adopted."

"Bumpkins now." Charlotte corrected me.

"Yeah, twins, wow that's not going to be fun." I groaned.

George was silent for a few moments, rubbing his hands like he did when he was in deep concentration. "I want to divorce Angelina. I'm going to divorce her and help you with the kids."

I used my thumb to trace where bumpkin number one and bumpkin number two were growing. I wasn't going to excite myself with the thought that I might get George back, it wasn't worth it. When we got to the castle I left the car quickly so I didn't have to talk to him on the way inside. I slipped in only to be confronted by Angelina. George walked in a few paces after me and his eyes flickered up to the clock. It was late. If it wasn't for the fact that Charlotte entered the room and dumped her car keys on the table, it would've looked suspicious.

"Step away from my husband." She narrowed her eyes at me.

"What the hell!" I yelled when she took a step closer.

"I said step away from George." She snarled.

I put my hands up in surrender and sat down next to Charlotte. "What is your problem?"

"I know you and George have been seeing each other."

"I think you've got your facts wrong."

"Don't lie to me, you sleazy whore."

"Ange!" George chided her.

"I know what's going on and I have proof. I will prove that you two have been getting very _comfortable _with each other. Like today for example, what exactly were you doing?"

I glared at her and my lips parted in a sarcastic smile. "Oh you know, I'm such a sleazy whore that I spent my afternoon in St. Mungos, with a suspected kidney infection. George and Charlotte were able to drive me there." I didn't even turn my gaze. "Why, what did you think we were doing?"

"Ange I think you might be a little tired. Maybe you should go upstairs." George said softly before she could respond.

"I know there's something going on between the two of you. I can feel it."

I did feel a little sorry for Angelina, after all she was right. George and I were having an affair and there we were lying to her, making her sound like an idiot.

_Yeah but she deserves it._

And that was the last thing I thought before she launched herself at me.

**Oooh tension, what will happen between Angelina and Ellie! What will happen with Lauren? Well you'll find out next chapter. You guys should know what to do by now, **

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**Ella Bella xx**


	19. I know something you don't know

**Hey I know it's been a while, long story that I won't bother to explain, but here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 19. I know something you don't know~**

_Ellie POV_

I moved a hand forward and pushed the heat in the air causing her to propel backwards. As Angelina stood back up, I got into a better position and lit up my hands. She didn't even hesitate at the sight of fire, she just scraped her hair behind her ears and pulled out her wand. I didn't flinch.

"Angie, put the wand down." George said slowly.

"You don't know what she is." She snarled.

I faltered at that. She couldn't know. _Its probably nothing, _I tried to convince myself but my instincts knew it was something. Charlotte must have felt something too because she visibly tensed and moved herself directly between me and Angelina. She was determined to keep my unborn children alive, whatever it took.

"How long have you known?" I said, keeping the fire on the tips of my fingers.

"Since the Convict cases started getting worse."

"That wasn't me." I gave her a cold smile.

"Maybe, maybe not. You understand why I have trouble believing you though."

I shook my head. "I don't, but I'll be happy to hear you try and explain."

I relaxed a little. From her demeanour alone I could tell that Angelina didn't know an awful lot so the damage wouldn't be too wide spread. All that was needed were a couple of lies and everyone would move past the topic. I leaned back on the sofa and let the fire soak back into my skin.

_~XC021~_

_Magenta POV_

I heard sounds from downstairs, shouting, and knew that Ellie was back. I quickly finished up my game of Wizard's chess with Albus, slaughtering him without even taking any concern for his ego and ran down to the living room. He was probably a little worried about my erratic behaviour but he didn't say anything, just let me get on with it.

Slowing down my breathing and trying to move through my groggy mind I pushed open the door. I frowned. It didn't matter that I was a seer because anyone could've sensed the unease and untold violence in the room. Images of fire filled the room, little flickers of pain and tears and anger flowing about as possibilities. I quickly drowned it out, _concentrate Gen._

"Hey Gen you ok?" Ellie had turned her attention to me and I realised that I'd probably been standing there mute for a while.

I looked around the room again. My eyes swivelled to where Charlotte was sitting and a throbbing started in my head.

"Charlotte bring Gen over she looks like she's going to faint."

I let Charlotte take me by the hand and lead me to Ellie who gathered me up in her arms and let heat pour into me.

"What's wrong? What have you seen?"

For a moment I don't think that I'll be able to answer and then I remember why it's so important that I do. "Nothing. I haven't seen anything."

"But that's good right?" Ellie was being a lot more careful than she would if we were alone but I could still sense the urgency in her tone.

"I thought Lauren was with you or Charlotte because she didn't come out with us earlier. I've been trying all day to see her but there's nothing." My throat seemed to close up then and I couldn't continue. Maybe it was because I was ashamed or maybe because I wasn't one for speaking anyway.

Charlotte was already up on her feet and packing her handbag.

"In the morning, Charlotte. We're never going to find her running around in the dark." Ellie said calmly.

"She's been gone for an entire day, anything could've happened. We have to start now or—" Charlotte broke off and took a deep breath. "Fine, in the morning. Early though ok?"

Ellie sighed. "I'll tell Korakov to be on the lookout. She left of her own accord though Charlotte, nobody can get in here and if she had been taken against her will there would've been traces." It never ceased to amaze me how effortlessly she slipped in and out of her job role. "I'll call Rizzo as well, she might have seen her."

Consoled for the time being, Charlotte nodded and went up to her room. I looked up at Ellie and noticed the clear signs of exhaustion written on her face. The feeling in my gut was right, very bad things were happening and we were right at the epicentre.

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

I already had a strong idea of where Lauren would go to but I knew going out in the dark was dangerous as well as pointless. She'd been trained in defence since she was seven, the same training that Ellie and I had received when we were the same age. She was just as capable as any wizard twice her age, if not more because of the type of magic running through her veins. _But that also makes her vulnerable. _

Sleep decided to evade me that night. If I wasn't thinking about Lauren then I was thinking about Ellie and if I wasn't thinking about Ellie then I was thinking about Fred. It had been happening more and more often. Sometimes I felt like I could hear him talking to me, sometimes I imagined what he would be doing now if he was still alive, sometimes I thought I could see him sitting in the empty chair in the corner of the room and sometimes I just replayed his death over and over in my head. It wasn't healthy but I was starting to get addicted to those temporary snatches of him as it was the only thing I had left of him.

It was three in the morning when I gave up on sleep and it was still dark outside. I dragged the curtains open and glared out at the moon. It had started to affect my mood the night that Freya died, had started to push and pull at my emotions like a tide but only when it was full. That should have been impossible, Ellie had told me that I had to be imagining it because the alternative was too ridiculous to even think about. The alternative meant that I wasn't just able to manipulate water, I was the embodiment of it. Every time I thought about that I realised how stupid that would be, how impossible that would be.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I whirled around ready to yell at George for not knocking but I fell short.

"Who the hell are you? Go away." I hissed, deciding I wouldn't call for help until I knew whether or not I was hallucinating.

"Nice way to greet your fiancé."

There he was, sitting in the armchair and talking to me. Fred Weasley. The same Fred that I had fallen in love with, the same Fred that proposed to me before a battle, the same Fred that had died saving his friends.

"You're dead. How are you doing that if you're dead. Am I even awake?"

"You're awake." He grinned.

"So I'm going mad then." I said slowly.

"You're not going mad." He laughed.

"So then I'm dead too." I groaned. "Oh come on, I can't have died in my sleep that would've been so lame."

"Well then you're in luck. You're not dead or mad or dreaming. I'm here speaking to you, just like I have been every night, your just fully conscious this time."

I thought back to the research that I had done after I lost Freya. I was obsessed with finding a way to bring them both back so I wanted to know as much about the gates as possible.

"The only way that you can do this is if you have permission from the gatekeeper, which means that they want to weaken the gates. It also means that only I can see you."

Fred nodded. "I had to pick someone who'd want to see me so much that they would cling to anything they saw or heard. I considered George but he would want to try and move on, mum would be the same, I've seen Ellie go through so much that I thought this would probably drive her to insanity and then I thought about you. Even when you grew comfortable talking about me and looking at pictures and reminiscing you still hoped that there would be a way for me to come back."

"I would never give up on you." I felt my eyes prick with tears and I smiled over at him.

"Charlotte I know this isn't going to be easy but I need you to do me a favour."

"Anything."

He motioned for me to stand up and as I did, he rose from his position on the chair. I followed his instructions, opening out my arms and tilting my head back. Then he told me to stand very still and I did. Taking a deep breath, he backed to the very edge of the room and then ran forward. I felt a rush of air move through me and I staggered back, adjusting to the heavy blow to my chest. When I finally regained my balance, I looked around the room. I was alone.

"Hey Fred." I called quietly. "Where did you go?"

The sound of laughter filled my ears, loud and very mischievous.

"I'm in here." The words didn't echo around the room but had been uttered from my lips and suddenly my arm was lifting itself up to wave.

I was about to ask again where he was but got distracted by one of my hands caressing my face. The confusion only lasted for a second before I took back control of my limbs and frowned deeply. I didn't need to ask where Fred was...because he was in my head.

**So Fred is has control over Charlotte's body and what exactly is this secret that Ellie's been harbouring. You'll find out in the next chapter but in the meantime you know what to do:**

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**And if you're a Hunger Games fan check out my story White Roses and vote on my poll. If your a Doctor Who fan then read my fic Toy Soldiers. (and review them both)**

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	20. I listen to the voice inside my head

**New chappie! Ok so I'm on holiday at the moment so updates may be slow. By the way, the bold italics is Fred's thoughts. **

**~Chapter 20. I listen to the voice inside my head~**

_Charlotte POV_

I had an idea where Lauren was but I wanted to go there alone so I directed everyone else to pointless places where I knew she wouldn't be. Then I zipped up my leather jacket and grabbed my broom. It was the same one I used on the night we rescued Harry from Privet Drive.

_**Why don't you just apparate?**_ Fred asked mentally.

_I can't concentrate properly with you in my head. _

I mounted the broom and took off in the direction of the Weasley's house. When I landed at the entrance of the graveyard I put my wand in my back pocket and made sure my gun and knives were secure in my jacket. I couldn't be too careful, especially if Joreth was lurking around every corner.

_Do you recognise where we are?_

_**The graveyard near home.**_

_You were buried here._

_**Really? You didn't want to cremate me and keep my ashes in your bedroom? **_He joked.

_I didn't like the idea of you watching me sleep. _

_**And as it turned out, I do that anyway.**_

I smiled to myself and ignored the fact that Fred laughed at my reaction. I picked my way across the stones and past Fred's grave. Before I reached the apple tree that marked the end of the land, I saw who I was looking for. Lauren must have seen me too though because she took off, running along the paths and jumping graves.

Something seemed to pull away from me and felt a strong moment of emptiness so I figured that Fred must have gone. My gaze flickered over to Lauren who had stopped in her tracks and was screaming. I jogged the last few paces to catch up with her and put an arm around her shoulders. I felt a force slam into me and I mentally thanked Fred for scaring her.

"That didn't look like Uncle George." She gasped.

"That's because it wasn't." I felt Fred saying.

I understood why she was worried. Despite the fact that they were twins, over the years they had developed a number of differences. Fred still had both ears and short hair whereas George was missing an ear and his hair had grown longer and rugged.

"Lauren you have to come home." I said.

"I know. I was going to, I just wanted some time, some advice."

She nodded down to Freya's grave that sat right by us, underneath the apple tree.

"You shouldn't waste your time on the dead. Talk to the living, Lauren, its better."

_**Hey!**_

_Shut up._

"I wish I could speak to her. I wish I could see her, remember her." She shook her head. "It's stupid and I know you can't miss someone you never knew but I do miss her."

"Freya would have told you to listen to your gut. I'm telling you to listen to your gut. What is it saying?"

"It's saying that I need to wait somewhere that he will find me. Joreth needs to find me. I don't know whether or not he wants to hurt me but he needs to find me. It's very important."

"Then you need to wait at the castle. When he wants to make contact he will."

She gave me a small smile and pointed her hand towards the grave. She sucked in a deep breath and as she exhaled, flowers sprung up and bloomed over the ground.

"I guess I won't be able to do that when we find a way to get this ruby out of me."

"No I guess you won't. Come on."

I walked away, giving her a moment to say goodbye to her mum.

_**I know it's hard but I'll be back soon.**_

_But Freya won't and right now we need someone like her to help us through this. I need her around._

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I hung up my coat and followed the sound of voices to the living room. From the sound of happy voices it seemed that they were able to find Lauren and go out. Charlotte looked up at me.

"How was it?" She asked, referring to the scan I had earlier.

I thought back to lying on the bed, having the gel smeared on, seeing the heartbeat of both unborn children. Two beautiful heartbeats. Twins, sex unknown, but it didn't matter to me.

"Healthy. Everything's fine, they gave me some medication for the kidney infection but a low dosage because they think I can just flush it out by eating well and drinking water."

"But the other part of it, I mean was it as amazing as everyone says?" She said carefully, trying to find out what I thought of the experience.

I grinned. "It was beautiful. I'm already feeling it." I said, meaning that I was already starting to feel a motherly instinct.

"Probably down to circumstance." Charlotte nodded with a smile.

"Probably."

Angelina coughed lightly and snarled in my general direction. "I'd like to go back to where we left off yesterday."

"Why? What's the point?" I sat down heavily and smoothed down the maternity blouse I had bought a couple of days ago as I was beginning to show.

"Well my husband's been distracted all day so I think there's something going on here."

"Maybe George was worried about Lauren or even if—god forbid—he was thinking about me, who says it isn't more than friendly concern?"

I nestled into the sofa and tilted my head in Angelina's direction.

"You're Convict XC021. You killed all those people. You were a pregnant bimbo murdering whore." She laughed humourlessly. "Did I say were, I meant are."

"Well aren't you the little genius." I said sarcastically, clapping my hands.

"Ellie is this true." George gave me a suspicious look.

"Yes I am Convict XC021 but no I wasn't a pregnant bimbo murdering whore." I said a little too bitterly.

"But why?" Hermione's face was screwed up into a scared and worried expression.

"They were criminals of war. People who committed crimes against wizards and muggles alike but were never punished. I searched for them, slit their throats and left them for dead. The Ministry found them every time and always found them in enough time to save their lives but once they saw that they were criminals, they left them. So really, I didn't kill them."

"We were told that the Convict was dangerous. We thought she was going to be the new Voldemort." Harry said quietly. "But you were just doing what nobody else could be bothered to do themselves."

"But you left." George had that numb look that I was beginning to know so well. "You moved to Dakota."

"I did, just not immediately. I couldn't. So I moved from house to house, covered my tracks, never left any sign of my actual identity. They had a plaque on my cell already, had my piece of card all written up so that's the name I went along with. Convict XC021, it was nice to escape from who I really was. I'd prefer a powerful revenge seeker over a broken depressed pregnant teenager any day."

I didn't move my eyes from George's, even when Angelina started talking again.

"Why couldn't you move to Dakota? Too pregnant by then? Explain that by the way. Did you just sleep with the first guy you saw or did you just lay down in the street with your legs open and wait for them to come to you? How long did you wait after you left George? An hour?" She smirked.

"She was pregnant when she left." Every eye in the room turned to George who was giving me an intense glare. "You were pregnant when you left, the baby was mine. What happened to the child?"

"She was sick. She couldn't process heat properly so that made looking after her very difficult. That happens sometimes. It's the reason why Riley can't produce an actual flame." I took a deep breath. "She was always in hospital or on bed rest but we got through it. She's better now. Her condition can be controlled. Her name is Rizzo. Rizzo Charlotte Corem. I think you've met her."

"No!" Angelina yelled suddenly. "No you do not get to twist this to your advantage."

"I didn't tell anyone because I had no intention of ruining your life. I never wanted George to have to choose or feel like he had to get involved so I kept it all a secret. When Rizzo moved over here she told people that she was my adoptive daughter."

I stood up and moved further away from Angie and George, especially George. I closed my eyes and took another steadying breath as my stomach started to churn.

"You still could've told me the truth."

"I was never coming back, you understand that right. I had no intention of coming back until Gen told me that we all had to move here. She saw something bad so I knew that I had to come back and help but other than that, I wouldn't have been here. I had no intention of staying either. That's why I didn't tell you."

"Fantastic. Then you can leave us alone now." She smirked.

"Plans change."

She growled and stormed over to where I stood, hand raised to slap me. I shifted my weight so I was in a better position and moved my arm protectively over my stomach. I could feel the heat rush to the surface of my skin and my eyes shift to a more intense flame.

"I'm a Naorta. I could hurt you. I don't want to do that but I could."

"I think I'll be fine."

As she brought her hand down towards my face I grabbed her wrist and twisted it into her chest. She lost her balance and I propelled her back into the wall. I stepped away.

"You were such a terrible mother that you hurt her before she was born. I bet she hates you for that, I bet she really, really hates you."

"Ange!" George shouted.

I whirled around and before she could react I grabbed her by the neck and smashed her into the wall, her head hitting the brick with a sickening thud. I squeezed her throat just a little, forcing heat into her flesh and then let go.

"Don't ever cross me again. Don't ever tell me that I wasn't a good mother and don't ever tell me that my daughter doesn't love me. Don't you dare."

I picked up my bag and coat and walked out of the door. I closed my eyes and disapparated, not caring where the magic took me.

**Ok so Ellie got a bit violent at the end there. Don't worry there's plenty more to come. Things are about to get a lot more interesting. **

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**Ella Bella xx**


	21. I turn up out of the blue uninvited

**Hey guys, its a relatively quick update for me. I was debating whether to do a direct follow or give you guys a treat and take a journey back in time. I decided to take a trip down memory lane so if you like this chapter and want more like this then just send me a review!**

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter 21. I turn up out of the blue uninvited~**

George POV

_-Almost twenty years ago-_

_I walked into the flat and saw Ellie sitting there; sticking pictures into the photo album Charlotte had gotten her almost a year ago. She looked like she was fighting hard not to cry but at the same time was in deep concentration so I didn't want to disturb her._

"_I'm almost done." She said, glancing up at me for a moment. _

_I sat down next to her on the sofa. "How did you manage to get so many pictures?"_

_There were a whole variety of photos with either me, Charlotte, Ellie or Fred in them, each dated in silver ink. _

"_I asked people if they had any. I want to put some by his grave and the rest I just want to keep as a memory. I want to remember us like this." She pointed to a picture of Fred and Charlotte wrestling each other into the lake. "Not like this." She gestured to the mess around us. _

_Everything was being prepared for the funeral and the flat had turned into a storage space whilst we decided what to do with my twin's belongings. _

"_Have finished your eulogy yet?" She asked setting aside the photo album and turning to face me._

_I nodded. "I think I know what I want to say."_

"_Me too. I'm just worried that I won't be able to get it out, that I'll break down and cry or something. He saved my life, George. He died saving my life."_

_I gathered Ellie in my arms and held her carefully. "You can't blame this on yourself Ellie. He wouldn't hold you responsible. We would have all died for each other, you know that."_

_She relaxed a little. "I just want to forget. Just for one night I want to forget everything. Everything that has happened and everything that will."_

"_Not possible." I sighed._

"_There wouldn't be any harm in trying." She moved slightly so she could press a kiss to my lips._

_I kissed her back. "Don't ever leave me, Ellie. Promise you won't ever leave me."_

_She didn't reply, didn't promise, instead she just leaned into me, the salt of her tears falling onto my bottom lip as our mouths met. _

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

_I brought my knees up to my chest and stared at door opposite imagining that at any moment either Fred or Ellie would walk through telling me that it was all just a bad dream. Occasionally someone would place a hand on my shoulder and offer me their condolences but mostly people whispered things, making comments about my sanity. _

_Several people dressed in black flocked around George all at once and I could see the effort it took him to keep composed. I stood up and walked over to him, taking his hand and leading him away from the crowd. He gave my hand a friendly squeeze as we went outside, and then pulled me into a hug. The last of my resolve faded away as I sobbed into his chest. _

"_Riley told her she had to leave and now she's gone. She's gone and I don't think she's ever coming back." I cried. _

"_Charlotte it's ok." He said. "As long as she's safe, it's ok."_

_I pulled away and wiped a hand across my face. "It was too much for her, it was too much for her to cope with."_

"_I know. That's why we have to let her go Charlotte. It's the only way she can be happy."_

"_How did you know? Did she tell you?"_

_A look of pain came over his eyes. "She didn't have to. She started looking at me like she'd never see my face again and even before it was over she was saying goodbye." He smiled wistfully. "I've had my goodbye. It was her last gift to me and I think I could be ok with that."_

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

_-Present Day-_

"I'm sorry for dropping by here so late the other night. I should've been more careful." I said to Rizzo whilst making myself a cup of coffee.

"Pregnant women aren't supposed to apparate, especially not alone. Anyway we haven't done a mother daughter thing in ages." She said taking out a bag full of cookies.

"I don't think me crashing here after having an argument with Angelina counts as a mother daughter thing."

"It could if you stayed for dinner."

I smiled and gulped down my coffee. "I've got some things to do first but I can come back in time for dinner."

"You can bring George with you, if you make up." Her voice was filled with hope.

"If we make up, I'll consider it."

I finished the drink, gave my daughter a hug and ran to the door. Outside it was raining heavily so I wrapped my coat tight around me and braved the weather. I didn't want to risk apparating again so I decided to walk to my favourite place. It was somewhere I used to go with George whilst Fred and Charlotte were out on dates. We'd started going there before we were a couple but it was still our secret place.

It took me almost an hour to get there but it would've been quicker had I not been pregnant. I sat on the bench and closed my eyes, legs crossed and hands placed on the bump. Droplets of cold water continued to fall onto my face but a cocoon of heat was beginning to envelope me so I wasn't worried about catching a cold.

"Hey."

My eyes snapped open at the sound of George's voice. I smiled just a little.

"Were you actually looking for me or did you just want to be here?" I said, staring into his eyes with hope.

"For someone who likes covering her tracks, your hiding places are very obvious."

He sat down next to me and took my hand. Despite running at a higher temperature than most I still felt warmth from holding him.

"I couldn't go back to the castle. I don't trust myself not to hurt her and I don't want to sit and explain everything about my life either."

George gave me an apologetic look and I knew I wasn't going to like whatever he said next. "Ellie I have to give you an ultimatum. I don't want to but I have to ok."

"Ok go ahead." I sighed.

"You have to leave today or stay forever. I love you Ellie, I do and if you stay then we can all help you get through this, I will help you with whatever you need but if you want to go then you have to leave now. I think that's the only way I can cope with you going, if you go right now."

"I want to stay but you know what I'm like. Little things just pile on and on until I don't think I can cope anymore. I get freaked out, George and then it feels like I'm suffocating."

"Then I'll help you. If you need a few days off from being a mum then I'll look after the twins whilst you relax, I'll do night feeds and take you out and stay up with you all night. I'll talk things through with you, sit and listen to you for hours, do all the housework; all you have to do is come home every night."

I laughed. "George, I know you'll be there for me, you don't need to sell me your soul."

"Come on lets go for a walk."

As we wound our way through the quiet park it continued to rain. My hair was drenched and sticking to my face as was George's. He told that Charlotte had slapped Angelina after I had gone and then she had stormed out asking for a divorce. I told him about what had happened in the years that I was gone. Only I told him the truth this time. About how it was looking after Rizzo, Jess and Gen, about training to be a Naorta and raising a family in South Dakota.

All the while the rain hammered down on us and we got soaked to the core. He came to a stop at the entrance to the little clearing we had made our own over the years. The tree house still had our picnic blanket and pillows inside and fairy lights still circled the trees suspended by magic.

"Haven't been here in forever." I breathed. "We were here when you first told me you loved me and I remember fearing that day because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to say it back. In the end though I had nothing to worry about because I when you said it I realised I was in love with you too."

I looked up at the grey clouds. "It was raining then a well. This weather is ridiculous, I don't think we should stay out here too long."

I turned back around to George only to notice that he was gone. I frowned. "Hey George, where did you go?"

I turned around again and saw him down on one knee behind me. I half grinned, half gaped at him whilst he beamed up at me.

"Whenever I imagined this moment I was constantly thinking of what story to tell and then I realised that there isn't just one story that defines our relationship because I'm falling more and more in love with you every day. Every story is our story and every moment is the moment. Some things never change, Ellie, I want to be with you for the rest of my life and I don't care how long I have to wait. I'd wait another twenty years for you and if I thought I'd live that long, another fifty."

He took a small purple box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a beautiful platinum ring with three diamonds on either side of a blue sapphire stone. Engraved on the inside were the words: _life is about the legacy you leave behind._ That was one of the first things I'd told him on the journey to Hogwarts all those years ago when we'd only just met. He always said that those words never left him, now they were permanently etched into my engagement ring.

"So will you fulfil my wish? Will you marry me?"

"George you are the only person who would take someone like me back over and over again because you are a good person. I know I don't deserve you but I love you. Before I thought that loving you meant leaving so you'd have room to grow and live your life but now I realise I was wrong. We are only happy when we're together, loving you means holding your hand and being by your side in the good times and the bad. You saved me George, more times than you could ever remember, you saved me. And from that day I just fell in love with you over and over again. So yes, I will marry you and yes I will stay. Forever George, because we need each other, forever." I said breathlessly, unable to think properly, my head reeling with what had just happened.

I felt George put on the ring and then I pulled him up. I didn't care that we were both drenched by now, I just brought him close to me and kissed him. He kissed me back and wrapped both arms around my waist. I let heat trickle out as our lips crashed together, just butterfly pecks at first and then growing more passionate. He trailed a line down to my shoulders, where the sleeves of my shirt began and moved his hands up along my newly found curves to the top button so he could undo it.

I turned my head slightly so that my lips were close enough for him to feel my breath on his face.

"Just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I'm any easier to catch." I whispered, stepping back just as he'd undone the last button.

"Well luckily for you, I enjoy the chase."

**Well, that's all for now folks. I have to tell you that I cried whilst writing this one so I hope it made you feel just as gooey inside. So George and Ellie are engaged, awww. But why do I get the feeling that something's about to upset the peace. Mwahahaha. **

**Anyway, until the nextime, Subscribe and REVIEW!**

**Also new links are up on my profile, the new chapter of White Roses is up if you are a Hunger Games fan and my poll is still up if you want to vote!**

**Ella Bella xx**


	22. An imposter in a prison

**The next chappie is here! Read and Review!**

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter 22. An imposter in a prison~**

_George POV_

Ellie was still sleeping when I woke up, her arm placed protectively over her bump, breathing softly. I kissed her cheek gently before going downstairs. Roxy appeared to be the only one up so I made the both of us breakfast and sat down with her at the table.

"It's your baby isn't it? I know she's not really telling people yet but it's yours." She said.

I smiled at her. "They both are."

"Twins?" She grinned after a moment of realisation. "I'm going to have two new siblings?"

I nodded. "Fred might even get the brother he always wanted."

"What about me and the sister I always wanted?" She argued.

"You'll have Rizzo, she's your half-sister and Gen will live with us too."

"I'm happy for you dad." She gave me a grin. "And so is Freddie but he doesn't really think you need our opinion."

"I'd like to tell you that if it bothered you then I wouldn't marry Ellie but then I'd be lying. I do value your opinion though and if you and Freddie want us to slow things down a bit then we'll try our best."

"You don't have slow things down." She smiled. "As long as I'm in the wedding."

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

The only clothes I could fit into were maternity tops, trousers and dresses but I was barely sixteen weeks. It was the first time I'd headed into the office in a while and the entire place is in disarray.

"Hey Emephile?" I called out.

She peered out from behind a stack of papers. "Oh hey Ellie." She grinned.

"Do you want me to take some of these files or even some of these interrogations? You look overwhelmed."

"It's all under control here. I thought we'd agreed that you wouldn't work during your pregnancy."

"Yeah but you have so much going on here." I said pointing to the mess that was my office.

She raised her wand to blast some of the files out of her way and then crossed over to her desk.

"Ok, there is one case you could take for me."

She handed me a thick file with the word _XC021_ printed on the front.

"It's not me if that's what you're thinking. I stopped even thinking about it the day that Rizzo was born, you know that."

She sighed. "And I also know that this person is using all your signs, so if anyone's going to catch them out, then it's you."

I took the file and walked to the door. "Well then I better find this…imposter."

_~XC021~_

I followed the traces left by the imposter and found the location of their next attack. It was a high security muggle prison but nothing significant as far as the wizarding world was concerned. Even though my Naorta pass gave me security clearance to almost anywhere, I was far more accustomed to breaking in unnoticed.

I put on a pair of dark glasses to cover my ever-glowing eyes and adjusted my cloak to cover the bump. Then I broke through the main gate, confunded the guards, unlocked the secondary gates and got into the main building. From the bottom floor I could see up to all five levels and I could see that someone on the fourth was causing problems.

"Oh you've got to be kidding." I groaned.

The witch seemed to have heard me because she looked down at me. "Sister." She smiled before running to the edge of the platform and jumping off. She flipped twice and landed on the ground.

Riley opened her arms. "Aren't you going to give your little sister a hug?" She said sweetly.

Even though none of the guards were paying much attention, the prisoners were alert.

"Seriously, Riley, you've been in a coma for almost twelve years and the first conversation I have with you is inside a prison."

If I was being honest she didn't look like she'd been asleep for twelve years, she was healthy and clean and that knowing gleam in her eye made it seem like she had never left.

"I needed to get your attention."

"Well you've got it so can we go now." The guards would be coming back soon and I was getting impatient.

"Your choice, apparition or flame travel?"

I glared at her. "Riley, that's exposure."

She lit a match. "Or just a really good magic trick."

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

Fred was talking to me but I couldn't work out what he was saying. He kept repeating it and I tried to listen but I was focused on something else. He ripped away from me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He said, obviously offended that I wasn't listening to him.

"I've got this awful pain in my chest and it keeps pulsing down my arms but anyway, what were you saying."

Fred frowned. "Are you having a heart attack?"

"I sincerely hope not." I absently filled my hand full of water and swirled it around my arm. I felt a little relief. I aimed my palm at the wall and a stream of water jetted out and took off a section of wallpaper.

"Necessary?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah I feel much better. You were saying?"

"I was saying that the gatekeeper thinks that Lauren's close to bringing me back. A week or so."

I felt him move back into my body and I smiled to myself. "A week until my life can begin again."

_Your life should never have stopped. _

_~XC021~_

_Lauren POV_

I found the stone whilst I was visiting my mother's grave and I had a slight idea of what it was. The resurrection stone sat on my herbology book, cold, black and oh so inviting. I stroked my finger along the stone and felt in pull me in and suddenly it was nestled in the palm of my hand.

I turned it over three times just like it said in the book and then felt a strange numbing sensation spread across my body. When I opened my eyes I realised I was no longer in the study. In front of me was a young woman I only recognised from pictures.

"Mum."

_Freya POV_

"You asked for me."

I sat in a coffee shop watching fallen Quidditch players whiz past on their brooms. The game probably spanned half the plaza. Opposite sat Timothy who had made a special visit up from the caves to see me. I stirred my drink.

"I'm not usually allowed in the plaza, so why here?" I gave him a quizzical look.

"You're not usually allowed here because I think you much prefer the company of others. I chose here because it's quiet."

I gestured to the buzzing café and he gave me a disapproving look. "You know what I mean."

"I haven't seen Fred in a while. Did he make it back?"

He shook his head. "The gates are still closed. We need a bit more power."

I laughed humourlessly. "More powerful than my daughter?"

"Yes. We need the gatekeeper on the other side."

"Ellie." I guessed.

"She bears the Death Ring." He nodded.

"What do you need me for?" I said, still confused.

"What do you know of the pact?"

"It was created to protect Ellie until she was ready to know the truth about who she is. I wasn't really involved. I just predicted it."

"It was your very first prophecy, Freya—the first is always the strongest."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"

"Freya you have a duty to find my sister, to reunite what remains of the pact and look after my niece."

I almost gaped at him. "I'm dead."

"It's your choice Freya. Stay here and live in safety or finally put your soul to rest and find the man that killed you?"

"I'll always have two realities in my head. Before it was the present and the possible future and now it'll be the living and the dead."

"They can't do this alone."

I shook my head at him. "But I can't do it with them."

"Not even for your daughter."

"You don't understand. I was never much different from Joreth. All this time I've been lying to myself because when I collapsed that building I wanted her to die. I wanted to kill my baby. How do I explain that to anyone, how do I look her in the face and say that I love her when I spent every living moment with her wishing she was dead."

"But you protected Lauren."

"Did I? Or is the lie I tell strong enough to change even my own memories?"

**Oooh. All secrets are coming out now! Why did she do it? And will she come back? **

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**Ella Bella xx**


	23. A door appears in the dining room

**New chapter has arrived! Oh and I've started this new fic about Clato so all you Hunger Games fans go check it out!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~Chapter 23. A door appears in the dining room~**

_Lauren POV_

When I heard the door click shut, I ran down the stairs and into the dining room. I sat down at the mahogany table and put the stone down in front of me—it had been about a fortnight since I'd had a moment to myself. I frowned as I concentrated on it, imagining it lifting itself up, imagining it turning over. I don't know why but something in my mind told me not to just turn the stone over, something was telling me to use my mind.

The resurrection stone wavered on the table just a little but didn't rise up all that far. I frowned and tried to concentrate a little harder, my forehead creasing as I put more power into the stone. I knew I was powerful but what I had I couldn't control.

"You're using too much of your mind. You've got to use your entire being."

I whipped around as soon as I heard Ellie's voice. "How did you—what are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "I'm working from here at the moment and I gathered that from your look of concentration you're trying to do something with that stone. You can't think about it, you've got to feel it. At least that's how I produce a flame; I have to feel it with everything I've got."

I listened to her advice and tried to feel the stone but I couldn't. I couldn't even feel a pulse of magic like I tended to with other things.

"Feel further than the stone. Feel the other side."

I thought about it. I knew who was there on the other side. I thought about my mother, Freya, the woman who died to protect me and also about Fred, the man who died to protect us all. I didn't know their faces but I knew their hearts and then I felt it. It seemed to channel through the stone and rock through me. What I was feeling was the most powerful magic of all, the thing that people lived and died for—love.

_Ellie POV _

As the stone rose up from the table, I felt a deep chill spread through my hand and as I looked down I saw the Death Ring on my finger. I found it unsettling how easily it found its way back to me despite the fact that I no longer wanted nor needed it.

A huge amount of energy exploded outwards from the resurrection stone forming a strange looking door on the wall. The wings seemed to flap and turn and twirl in the direction of the door and for a second I felt drawn towards it but was reminded with a small kick in the stomach that I couldn't go investigating alone. I pulled heat into one hand and held it around the ring, forcing the resulting power in the direction of the door. Fire and frost rose up the wall and the door disappeared.

Lauren seemed to snap back into focus and she looked up at me. "What did we just do?" She gulped, concern covering her face.

"We didn't do anything." I said, a little worried myself. "But if we had opened that door, I think we may have unlocked the gates between the living and the dead."

"So if Charlotte found out about this, how much trouble would we be in?" She asked with a small mischievous smile on her face.

"On a scale of one to ten? Eleven." I grinned. "So we should probably keep this to ourselves."

She nodded in the direction of the wall which was noticeably darker with cracked wall paper. "How do we explain this then?"

"We were doing a little target practice?" I laughed.

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

"Where are you?" I muttered through gritted teeth.

Fred had been gone for almost two weeks and I was starting to think that maybe he wasn't ever coming back. I had an overwhelming sense of emptiness and I knew that Lauren, George and Ellie could sense my bad mood. To make matters worse my water powers were acting up and I couldn't control its flow out of my hands. I ached both physically and emotionally so when George woke me up one morning I was less than impressed.

"What!" I tried not to yell at him. "Sorry, it's early and I think I'm going to be having one of those days."

"Yeah, I know, sorry. I think you'll want to see this."

I wrapped myself in a long cardigan and followed him to the dining room. The door is slightly ajar and I can hear voices inside there which sound like Ellie and Lauren. I peer through the gap and see a weird white light and an even weirder door that seems foreign in the room. I'm about to push it open to see what they're up to when George catches my wrist and pulls me back.

"Don't you know what they're up to?" He whispers.

"I'm sensing some sort of dark magic? The Death Ring probably but why are they using it?"

George's mouth is pressed into a serious line but there's just a hint of a smile there. "I think that door is a gate, a gate to the other side."

"You don't know that."

"No, I do. I did a lot of research into that sort of stuff when Fred died. I was in a bad place."

"So if we leave them be then they'll figure it out for themselves. They'll figure out a way to bring Fred back?" I smiled, my eyes filled with hope.

George pursed his lips. "I don't like the idea of my pregnant fiancée messing around with all this dark magic."

"Then just give them a few more hours." I begged and I knew it was an offer he couldn't refuse. Both our minds must have been thinking the same thing. A few more hours and they would have worked out how to open the gates. A few more hours and we could bring someone back to life. A few more hours and Fred would be back by my side. We were crossing into dangerous territory, death magic—necromancy—was the worst kind of all but the desire to have Fred back was overwhelming. There was only one thing clouding my mind slightly, the knowledge that once I had crossed that line, once I had held in my hands the power to give or take life, I could never go back.

_~XC021~_

_Ellie POV_

I brushed the hair away from my face and twirled the bottom around my fingers. As with so many things it was growing, not quite as long as before but long enough. I wrapped my cardigan around my stomach, mindful that my bump was still getting bigger. George was already up so I made my side of the bed and went downstairs, a sudden craving for donuts overcoming me.

Before I made it into the kitchen I heard voices inside the dining room. People were speaking in hushed tones and I couldn't make out what they were saying but I could sense the general air of negativity. I grabbed a donut first before wondering back down the hall into the room. Everyone was inside, sitting around the table with Lauren at the head. She gave me an apologetic look but I just smiled.

I walked over and sat down by George, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Please, can we get on with it, I'm very busy." Lauren said sounding bored.

"Get on with what?" I asked, innocently.

Charlotte fixed me with a dark look and opened her palm so I could see that she was holding the resurrection stone. "Don't play games Ellie, you know what this is."

The temperature in my veins didn't even rise, she was driven by grief and I couldn't feel anger towards her when I knew she had every right to act so crazy. A little guilt pulled at my heart and I closed my eyes. _Not now, please not now. _

_George dragged me back and into his arms, keeping a straight face as I cried into his shoulder. Water and fire rose around the five of us, protecting us from the spells and the battle raging outside. I took a few steadying breaths before turning back around and looking down the fallen body. I dropped to my knees and put a hand against his cheek. Percy gave me a hopeful look but I just shook my head, closing those still smiling eyes of his and kissing his forehead, much like a sister would. Then I moved my lips close to his ear, knowing he couldn't hear me but not caring at all. _

"_Forgive me, Fred, _forgive_ me."_

I snapped back into focus, shaking that awful memory from my mind. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to show me what you did with that stone." Charlotte said simply.

"Charlotte I think this is a bad idea. It won't work and I don't want you to get fixated on this idea."

It was George that answered me first. "Ellie, please. We'll try it one time and if nothing happens we'll drop it, promise."

I wanted to come up with some reason why it was a bad idea but I could already feel the Death Ring pulsating in my pocket. I slipped it onto my finger and nodded to Lauren. Her face contorted as she concentrated on the stone, flipping it over with her mind. I closed my eyes and felt the pulsing of the ring. The cold flooded through my body and pricks of ice on the surface of my skin. More than I could see it, I could feel the door in the corner of the room and then a white light flared up behind my eyelids.

_Charlotte POV_

I was in a daze, striding towards him like I had no other choice but to do so. I'd forgotten all about the past month, about him inhabiting my body but also about him leaving again. All I could think about was him. That hair, those eyes and that smile that had never been more alive. Nothing else mattered, nothing else would ever matter.

I stopped and gripped Fred's arm tightly, inhaling deeply as the realisation finally hit me. He was back…for good. There was no way in hell that I was going to let him go ever again, let alone let him out of my sight. Once we had a chance to be alone, I pulled him into a tight hug and buried my head into his shoulder. We stayed like that for a minute, before he chuckled into my hair and I pulled away, looking deep into his cobalt eyes.

"What?" I asked gently.

"I've missed this," he whispered.

"What?" I laughed gently, feeling a real smile make its way onto my face. I had faked my feelings most of the time—smiling when really I wanted to rip my hair out.

"What've you missed?"

"This," he replied, wrapping his arms around me tighter. "Being with you, being able to touch again and breathe again and smell again, being alive."

We stood in silence for a minute before I pulled away. "I missed you so much," I let out and let loose a breath that I felt like I had been holding for 20 years. "I've missed everything about you." He chuckled again and his hand cradled my face and I leant into it. Ever since he died, I hadn't really been with anybody else, too distraught to open myself up again to somebody. Fred was all I needed. All I wanted. All I'd ever want.

"Like I said, I missed you too," he smirked and ducked his head down to mine, however I pulled back and he dropped his hand. "What?"

I let lose a small smile and laugh. "Nothing. It's just weird. You know, to go back to how everything was," I said, trailing off and ducking my head down. His hand found its way under my chin, pulling my head back up.

"What are you scared of Charlotte?" he asked gently, his other hand finding its way onto my waist.

I bit my lip before replying. "I'm scared that after everything, you don't really love me. That your time wherever the hell you were made you realise that I wasn't the one for you."

Silence filled the air for a minute before he replied. "Why would you think that?" Fred asked, eyebrow raised. I shrugged and tried to maintain eye contact, but my eyes began to water and the tears threated to fall.

"My time on the other side made me realise how I couldn't bear to be without you," he sighed and I pressed my hands against his chest, trying to push him away. I couldn't deal with him right now. "My feelings are still the same, if not stronger than ever."

That was enough to make the tears fall. I let lose a small sob and he smiled gently before he leant down and kissed me hungrily. One hand cradled my face whereas the other was on my hip, skimming the flesh that under my shirt. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let the tears stream down my face as relief washed over me.

**YAY! Good news all around! It's a shame about the next chapter... Anyway, a huge thank you to Charlotte (MadeOfTitanium) for writing that last little section for me, be good and go check out her stuff it's amazing!**

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**Ella Bella xx**


	24. The Problem With Surrogacy

**Yeah this took longer than expected but I've been really ill recently so I haven't been able to write. Anyway this is a nice little chapter for you to read (and you know what to do at the end)**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

**~The Problem With Surrogacy~**

_Ellie POV_

My initial reaction to Fred's return was one of shock and amazement which slowly melted away to fear and guilt so naturally I avoided him. In fact I was doing a good job of not speaking to him directly until the following night when I offered to do the dishes and he said he'd help out. This was not the escape I had been hoping for. In fact it was the opposite of the escape I'd been hoping for.

I rolled up my sleeves and used my wand to fill the sink with water and soap.

"Ellie, I know you've been avoiding me." Fred started.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I smiled in his direction. "All we've done is talk—I'm surprised it doesn't annoy you, I mean all they do is ask questions you can't answer." I shrugged. "The fascination will wear off soon enough."

He loaded the plates into the water and set the sponge to work. "I know what this is about and like you should already know, what happened to me wasn't your fault."

"You died saving my life, you died pushing me out of the way of that killing curse and you know that curse was meant for me."

He shook his head. "I died doing what was right—fighting against the Death Eaters and looking out for loved ones. Yes I died saving you but you've sacrificed yourself for me before and you know it."

I sighed. "I didn't die though."

Fred's eyes seemed to shine with some greater knowledge that I didn't yet possess. "Life isn't about coming up even."

"Sometimes I pretend for a second that we lived normal lives; that you didn't die, that I didn't run away but it only lasts a second. We're still plagued with nightmares, haunted by our actions and aching from our losses and yet there are moments when we're almost normal, almost like none of this ever happened. And even now with you back I want to think that it'll be like you were always here but it won't Fred, it won't ever be normal enough and that is what scares me. That's why I've been avoiding you, okay, I've been trying to avoid the past—the truth."

He took two long strides over to where I stood and pulled me in for a hug. "It'll always be like that for us. We're the generation that grew up too fast and lived in fear. The children of the Second Wizarding War." He mused.

We just stood like that for a minute, the sound of splashing filling the air around us. "Nice bump you have there by the way. Are you carrying babies or fully grown humans?" He chuckled.

I moved back so I could give him a well-deserved (but playful) smack round the head and laughed. He flicked the sponge at me in retaliation and despite the bump I managed to duck and scurry to the door without it hitting me. I grinned to myself—we weren't normal but we were family and in my eyes that was all that mattered.

_~XC021~_

Life slipped back to normal very quickly and very easily after that. Fred and Charlotte were closer than ever, snuggling up on the sofa and talking about their plans for the future. It was sweet, seeing the two of them together again, seeing Charlotte happy again. I however was less than happy. Riley was in my head all the time, warning me that I had to see her soon or she would come to see me.

"Yet again it's a no." Charlotte said, leaning against Fred's chest.

"And yet again, why not?" I kept one hand on my bump whilst the other traced circles on George's hand.

"Not going to work, Ellie." George laughed, interlinking our fingers so he couldn't get districted by my touch.

"She's my sister, she's not going to hurt me." At that, everyone in the room turned to me. "I _trust_ her. Does that not mean anything to anyone?"

George rubbed my hand reassuringly. "We're not doubting your judgement, we're just mindful that you're pregnant and I don't think you need the stress." I opened my mouth to speak. "What if she did something accidently? She could do some serious damage just by forcing a little smoke in your direction."

"I need to speak to her though." I nervously curled my fingers into a fist. "I really need to speak to her."

Charlotte looked at me sympathetically—a look that people were starting to give me a lot, probably because I was pregnant. Being pregnant didn't cloud my judgement or make me oversensitive but they couldn't quite understand that.

"You saw her the day you went to the prison. You said yourself that she didn't say anything important and that she was bordering on psychotic."

I glance over to where Magenta sat talking to Lauren and sighed, I didn't want to listen to Charlotte talking about how dangerous my sister was. She didn't know what had happened. None of them knew, none of them could know. _But you have to tell them._ A few sharp kicks brought my attention back to Charlotte. Her voice was getting louder but the words weren't making sense. All I could hear was the sound of crying and the memories that I locked away threatened to take over. George gently squeezed my hand, teasing it out of its fist shape. I turned my head slightly to look at him but it was too late. It was too much. I was gone.

_~XC021~_

_Some year previous_

There was a knock on the door which was strange because it was eleven o'clock and nobody came up to the farm until at least midday. I picked up the baby monitor from the work-surface and went to open the door. My older sister, Ivy, smiled sheepishly at me and I almost closed the door on her, but only almost because patience was something I was working on.

"I know you don't want to speak with me." She spoke in fragile voice, like she was on the brink of crying.

"If it's to do with that boyfriend of yours then I don't want to know. I told you to break up with him and that you're not getting Jess back until he's gone for good. You're lucky social services never took Ethan away from you."

Ivy bit down on her lip but didn't say anything for a few moments. "More recently I've been wondering if she should ever come back at all. She's been here since she was two and I think she'd much rather live here than with me. And Ethan's fine thank you very much, I wouldn't let any harm come to him."

"Well thank you for the update." I said a little bitterly, prepared to close the door now that I could Gen on the baby monitor. "Bye Ivy."

"Ellie wait, that's not what I wanted to talk about ok. I wanted to talk about Riley."

I groaned and let her in, crossing the length of the room to go and retrieve Magenta. Nobody would guess from her bright eyes and small smile that she didn't have a mother or a father, that she was essentially orphaned.

"She went into a coma the day after I found Gen, so a month ago. She's very stable, she's not brain-dead and her heart's still beating but she won't wake up."

Ivy nodded. "She was always the stubborn one."

"There isn't much else to say really. They're going to keep her hooked up at St. Mungos and I'm going to stay here, looking after Gen. Nothing else to it. "

"Except there is more to say." Her eyes flickered guiltily down to Magenta and I frowned in her direction. "We did something bad." She started.

"And when you say we you mean…"

"Me and mum."

I gently kissed the forehead of my little niece and tried not to get too angry. "Of course, when there's trouble, my mother would be involved."

"It started out as a nice gesture for a nice couple and then progressed into an awful, awful web of lies." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I knew this couple that me and Riley were friends with and they really wanted a baby but they couldn't have one so I told them I knew someone who wanted to be a surrogate."

"Ivy please tell me you didn't volunteer Riley."

"No I didn't initially. Then I found out that Riley was pregnant and I was happy for everyone and then mum told me what had really happened. She'd put our sister under some sort of trance whilst she put her in the clinic and long story short made Riley the surrogate. Once I was told that I couldn't really escape what she had started. I let Riley believe the most awful things about her pregnancy and about the father, so much so that it drove her right to the edge."

"She tried to kill herself, Ivy."

"Yes and when that failed she was given an emergency C-section and then she ran off up here with a baby that isn't hers, even after I explained everything."

"So what do you want me to give Magenta up?" I asked slowly. "For your stupid actions? Ivy you almost killed our sister and your friends' unborn baby! Riley was already messed up from spending all those years with Dad, she didn't need this."

"I know and I'm sorry and I feel horrible about it but what can we do now? I just needed to tell someone the truth, ok. I just needed to get it out of my system because I was feeling particularly guilty today, because Magenta's parents died today and if I'm next I don't want to die with regrets."

"Ivy what are you saying? Why would you think that you're next?"

"Because they were gassed, Ellie, they choked to death on smoke."

_~XC021~_

_Present day_

"So I guess that's the problem with surrogacy. Actually less with surrogacy and more with my family." I said finishing off my story to Charlotte, Fred, George and anybody else who was listening, including Magenta.

"That's why I need to speak with her. She's full of anger towards my mother and sister but more to the point she needs a bit of closure. She killed that couple whilst she was in a coma which she put herself in. She's insane because we made her that way and I'm worried that if I don't speak to her she's going to do something bad, really, really, bad."

Fred frowned in my direction. "Like kill Ivy?"

I nodded but to be honest I wasn't that concerned about my older sister. "Riley's selfish and if she can't have something then nobody can. I have to speak to her before she kills Magenta."

**Dun, dun, duuuuuunn?! So what will Riley do in revenge and what can Ellie do to stop her? Will any of them ever be safe? Tell me all your thoughts and feels.**

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**Ella Bella xx**


	25. The Pact

**Hey, sorry for the delay, I had a Maths exam and then I'm doing this crazy write a novel in a month thing so I've been a bit distracted. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.**

_**~Chapter 25. The Pact~**_

_Freya POV_

I woke up on the ground, my clothes damp from lying on the wet grass. I rolled over onto my side and saw that I was lying next to my gravestone. Suddenly very unsettled, I moved quickly away and sat down on the nearby bench, teasing my hair out of its knots and trying not to stare at the place where I was buried. It was fairly cold for a day in mid-May and my breath hung in the air around me, separating me from the fog.

"Ok Freya, let's get out of the graveyard, it's a little creepy." I said out loud.

Catherine and Timothy had eventually convinced me to return to the land of the living and reunite the remaining members of the Pact. I still wasn't happy to be around but like they had said I would be doing more for my daughter by finding the old gang than lazing around the afterlife with the few friends I had.

Just as I'd made it onto the main street it started to rain, a lot. I didn't have any money for a bus or a decent coat, all I had were the clothes I died in—a long patchwork skirt and deep purple jumper. My brown leather boots had holes in the bottom so I took them off and dumped them by the side of the road. I caught a glance of myself in the glass of a shop window. I didn't look much different. Thirteen years older of course but the same pale skin, auburn hair and shadowed eyes. My lips were dry and my eyes bloodshot like they were the day I died.

"You really should have gotten yourself help." I muttered, lifting the pocket watch that now adorned my chest.

It was my parting gift from the dead. The dial didn't help me read the time it showed me what I needed to see. A yes or a no. A north, east, south or west. A left or a right.

"Show me wear to go, oh wise one." I laughed sarcastically, holding it out.

The familiar chill of death magic, necromancy, filled my veins and directed my body to the location of my family and friends, people who would not want to see me. My clothes clinging to my skin and the icy bite of spring showers nestling in my bones I trekked all the way to the castle, grabbing the occasional lift from a nice looking stranger.

By the time I reached their castle it was dark, my feet were cut and I was pretty sure I would die of pneumonia. I wished I'd had a wand but mine was lost in the ruins of my old house. I knocked on the door, dreading what was going to happen next.

"I don't know who it could be." I could hear Charlotte's voice approaching. "No I won't let any strangers in, I'm not stupid Fred."

I smiled to myself a little, Fred had made it back. The door opened and my sister's unusually cheery face beamed at me. And then she recognised who I was.

"It's raining out here and I don't have any money and I was wondering if you've got a spare bed?" I said weakly with a small smile.

Charlotte stared blankly for a few moments before throwing herself at me and embracing me in a hug. She held me at arm's length and shook her head in disbelief.

"Come in." She laughed, pulling me up the steps into the main room. "Look who's here? This is just crazy." She kissed my cheek and put an arm around my shoulder. "I think I have some spare clothes upstairs. Fred can you go and get Lauren, I think she's in the summerhouse with Gen and Al."

_~XC021~_

After I had changed into some comfortable clothes—a pair of green shorts and a long cream shirt—I went back downstairs and curled up in a blanket. I glanced briefly at the tea but didn't drink it, after being dead for so long it would take a while before my appetite came back.

"How long have you been back?" Lauren asked, sitting opposite me with a perplexed expression written on her face.

"The same amount of time that Fred's been back, it just took longer for me to..._materialise,_ if you like, because I wasn't by the gates at the time."

"We're glad to have you back." Charlotte smiled.

I sighed. "I can't stay here. You really wouldn't want me here if you knew the truth."

"Freya what are you talking about? Why would we want to send you away?"

"I don't think you know the whole truth about the night I died." I raked a hand through my damp hair and looked Lauren directly in the eye. "It's your choice whether or not you want to listen to this but I think you should."

My daughter glared back and curled her lip slightly. "I don't know what you could've done that's so bad you don't think we could forgive you."

"People surprise you." I said sadly and took a steadying breath. "Everything was absolutely fine. Me and Joreth were happily married and then I got pregnant and everything was great." I looked up. "I know you didn't like him much but he was really kind and helpful, held my hand, held my hair whatever I needed the entire way through the pregnancy." I smiled to myself.

"That doesn't sound like the dad I know."

"Seven weeks before you were born something changed. He came home from work one day with a new attitude. He became obsessed with how often I was wearing the ruby necklace and whether or not we could leave town. I thought it was last minute nerves but he was really attached to the idea of running away and leaving the child behind. He had this fantasy of us hiding away somewhere whilst somebody else raised our child."

Charlotte gave me a stern look. "You didn't say anything to us."

I took a sip from the tea to calm my nerves. "I didn't want to give you an excuse to say 'I told you so'. I thought it would be one of those things we could just ride out so there would be absolutely no point in bothering you about it." I let the steam console me as I prepared to tell them about what happened next.

"I'm still not hearing anything unforgiveable."

"I suffered really badly from post-natal depression, I didn't know that at the time but I did. I would look down at my baby and feel nothing, absolutely nothing. Me and Joreth were fighting all the time and there was nobody around to care about you, Lauren, but I think that's what he wanted. He got desperate, said it was too late to put you up for adoption, started talking about killing you and that didn't scare me as much as it should have. Actually I started to get ideas so I did a soul exchange. I thought that then if someone destroyed the ruby then it would kill the baby and it wouldn't look like anything other than cot death."

"You wanted to kill me? Why the hell would you tell me that?" Lauren glared at me.

"Because I can't stand you believing that I'm some sort of hero. When I collapsed that building I did it because I wanted you dead, not because I was trying to save you from Joreth. We were both as bad as each other, no, I was worse. I think Joreth had a reason, I just wanted to get rid of you. And I don't need pity okay, I know I was ill but I was still partially in control."

I wanted to cry, I probably needed to cry but I wouldn't do it in front of them, I didn't want their sympathy. The silence lasted for a few minutes and I put my drink down and avoided their gazes.

"Did you come all the way back just to tell me that?" Lauren said bitterly.

"No I came back because I have a job to do and I'm the only one capable and willing to do it. And I'd rather you heard the truth from me than from Joreth. For so many years I've convinced myself that I was saving you and most of the time that's how I remember it but I'm sick of lying to myself."

Ellie adjusted her position on the sofa and gave me a sympathetic look. "Do you know how we found her?" She nodded to Lauren.

I pushed my hair back behind my ears. "I don't see how this changes anything but no."

"Well I found you, I was in town working in the Ministry for a while and I got called up to your house. It was just rubble. Piles of brick and plaster and tile in a halo around this one room and when I opened it the wall almost collapsed but there was still a crying baby inside. There wasn't a single shard of glass or anything in the cot and you were there bent over her." Ellie's eyes flickered just a little darker. "I don't know what you wanted to do that day but your final act was saving her life. You wanted to protect Lauren, whether you knew it or not."

_~XC021~_

I didn't sleep well that night but I buried myself beneath the covers for as long as I could before there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." I groaned.

Lauren appeared in the doorway, still dressed in her nightclothes.

"Morning, would you like some tea?" She smiled, levitating two mugs, a teapot and other things needed for a good morning beverage.

"Why are you in here? You should be downstairs complaining about how much of a disappointment I am." I kicked away the covers and wrapped myself in Charlotte's old dressing gown.

She sat down on the bed opposite me and poured out some tea. "How many sugars?"

"Is this some sort of torture? Some new form of punishment that I'm not aware of?"

She beamed at me with the same smile Joreth wore when he knew he'd get his own way. "This is called, I haven't had a mother in almost fourteen years and you don't get to suddenly decide whether or not you want to look after me. Children don't come with receipts and whilst you're alive and kicking, we should spend as much quality time together as possible."

"Lauren, has it crossed your mind that this isn't completely healthy. I mean I'm not staying for very long. As soon as I've spoken with Joreth I have to go and finish some things."

She handed me the sugar before lifting her own cup to her lips. "Why would you speak to my dad again after everything he's done?" I gave her a look. "Fine, he didn't kill you like we all thought but he did want me dead and he was awful to the both of us, you being a sociopathic first-time mother has nothing to do with this."

"Its not so easy to fall out of love with someone, even if they're terrible people you remember the times when they weren't. I just need to see him again, I need to hear what he has to say."

"Take me with you." She said quietly. "The two of us can speak to him and then we can go."

"You don't even know what this is about."

She pursed her lips and gave me a dark look. "This is about Ellie isn't it? Me and Al and Magenta and Charlotte and Ellie. This relates to all of us."

I nodded my head. "This is our family history, Lauren, this is our legacy, this is about the Pact."

**Oooh Freya's back and she's not as innocent as we all thought! What happened to Joreth? Why did he suddenly go crazy? And what is the Pact? You know what to do in the meantime...**

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**Ella Bella xx**


	26. Aren't we just a happy family

****Okay so I owe you all a huge apology because I kind of went on hiatus without telling you! I just had a lot of exams and then I got the flu so I didn't have a lot of time to write. Don't you worry though, this chapter should make up for my absence. ****

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

_**~Chapter 26. Aren't we just a happy family~**_

_Some years previous_

Charlotte could tell that something special was going on, it was that kind of week. The kind of week where her mum rushed around the house and Mella seemed to be around for several hours a day. There was even a rumour that her dad was coming home from Ireland but she wasn't entirely sold on that one. She didn't know what exactly was happening but it probably had something to do with Ellie, important things always did. Still, she figured it would be nice to see Ellie again, it wasn't every day that her best friend was available to talk to.

Downstairs Freya was curled up in a ball on the sofa, her eyes closed against the continuous stream of prophetic visions. Her hands tightly gripped the blanket that her sister had thrown over her and she tried to go over in her mind what exactly she had seen but it was all morphing into a blur. It was a special prophecy, she knew that much. One that depicted the events that even her ancestors had feared. It was a prophecy that predicted the great rise of Corem and the even greater fall.

She remained curled up in that state until she found the image of a middle-aged woman with charcoal black hair and flame coloured eyes storm towards the door. It was a vision she'd had earlier, she'd seen the darkness descend on the late summer sky as the all-powerful witch Mella Corem came towards their front door. Freya sat up and glanced out of the window. It was getting dark now so she rushed to the hallway and pulled open the door before the witch could even raise her hand to knock. Behind her hurried a smaller, slight girl with the same hair but eyes that flooded with metallic gold rather than orange flame.

At that moment Charlotte slid down the banister and leapt towards her friend. Ellie greeted her in a hug and then pulled her away, leaving Freya standing awkwardly with Mella at the front door.

"Is your father back yet?" She asked.

Freya shook her head. "Not for a few days."

"Sofia?"

"Yes, she's home." She pointed upstairs and then, frightened by Mella's ever-changing eyes, ran off in the direction of her sister.

Mella glared after the gifted child trying to decide how best she could remove her prophetic powers. It had been simple enough to remove Charlotte's Sight but she hadn't been particularly gifted in the first place. Freya on the other hand was a lot more powerful, on the same scale as her own daughters even, it was going to be harder to silence that child.

She shook her head and went up the stairs, crossing the large hall to the second set and then knocking on the door of the last room on the third floor.

"It's Mella." She announced in a dark tone.

The door opened quickly revealing a smiling pale-faced witch with volumes of autumn coloured hair. Sofia welcomed her friend into the quiet office and sat her down quickly.

"Freya's been seeing things again. She says she's been seeing the chosen one. _Our _chosen one not Harry or anyone like that."

"And has she said who?" Mella asked calmly although she already knew the answer.

"No but I know that look Mella, you already have an idea of who that is, don't you."

She beamed widely. "Of course I know who it is. After all she is my creation. I knew what I was doing Sofia, she was always going to be the greatest weapon that could be used for or against me. I know how to control her and she's not the problem. The problem is secrecy, Sofia. We hide behind these walls and illusions and let these muggles run the world, run us. Well not anymore. We are the most powerful forces in existence and it is time that the world knew that."

"Are you talking about tyranny, Mella?" Sofia laughed almost psychotically.

"I most certainly am, Sofia."

She went quiet again and gave her friend a serious look. "What do you need?"

"Access to your daughter. There is corruption in our bloodline so we must destroy it now before our righteous genes begin to mutate. I need you to be a good mother, pretend to care, fiercely protect Freya from anyone and everyone and fill me in with every change and development. Let them all believe that we are nothing more than rich and bitter housewives, don't let them know how strong we really are. And lastly, aid Harry and all his delinquent followers as much as you can, for they must win for us to succeed."

"And then we shall seize control." She shook her head. "They won't know what hit them."

Mella curled her lip. "Life's a game, dear Sofia, and the only way to win is to play it."

_~XC021~_

Charlotte peered into Ellie's room and was satisfied when she found her sleeping. Then she crept across the hall to wake her sister who was already two steps ahead and sitting bright-eyed and dressed on her bed. She mouthed a greeting to her sister and carefully slipped off of her bed and out of her room.

The two of them padded down two flights of stairs and out of the front door, then ran along the darkened streets until they got to the tall gates of Harrow. Freya thrust out her hand and the metal clicked and creaked as they swung open.

"You need to tell me how to do that." Charlotte whispered.

"Only if you show me how to ride a broomstick." She whispered back.

On the other side of the gate stood Ellie's uncle Timothy, waiting for them with his arms outstretched. As he encircled them in a hug the earth shifted below them and the next second they were standing on the front steps of a large manor house. Both the Ryder sisters had Apparated before which meant that neither of them felt sick after travelling.

Inside the house was alive with voices but they didn't sound happy or cheerful like Charlotte was used to. Sitting around the dining room table were a few family members and some old Aurors. The faces that they recognised were Alastor Moody, Scardavia Cross, Emephile Korakov, Timothy's wife Catherine and sister Kyara.

As soon as the sisters sat down the proceedings started and the room fell silent. Kyara, the youngest of the Corem family but definitely the most powerful, sat strangely close to Moody with her feet up on the table and a lazy grin on her face. She turned to her brother. "Why are we here?"

"We're here because of Ellie, because it is time that we discussed her predicament." Timothy started. "As you may or may not know, I have been managing Ellie's powers for a few years now trying to make sure that she doesn't hurt herself. Mella is under the false impression that I am doing this because of the incident with the Korakov child but we all know that that had nothing to with Ellie."

Emephile stirred in her seat. "You must tell me where she is, how I can find her. I must tell her that it isn't her fault."

"No!" Kyara exclaimed. "No, she must not know at this time. We must not lift the barrier that keeps her magic at bay—it could kill her now."

"Kyara is right." Timothy nodded. "You will have your opportunity to find her but for now we must ensure that she lives to see that day. Freya, tell them your prophecy."

And then Freya recited perfectly:

_No other will equal her in strength and no other will equal her in mind. The floodgates shall open and the water shall fall. Then the world will succumb to fire. The reign of flame shall begin._

_Do not question the power of the blue, nor underestimate the power of the storm. And the forewarning shall be a girl unspeaking, a motherless child of Ryder and a boy born to a young and noble hero. _

_But beware children of the greats, for the tides are against you now. For the blood bond between a mother and her daughter can be a dangerous one. In times of happiness shall they find sorrow and in times of rejoice find loss. And here shall end and begin the time of fire._

"And what does that mean?" Said Emephile.

Charlotte spoke up for the first time. "It means that mother and Mella are going to try their hardest to make sure that Ellie doesn't survive to overthrow their inevitable reign. No doubt they'll try to kill all of us, one by one and make it look like the work of other dark forces. There is a wizarding war coming and it is the perfect opportunity for the two of them to dispose of us."

Timothy sighed deeply. "The prophecy is subjective and it could play out in our favour or Mella's. That is why I called you here. I need each and every one of you to watch and care for Ellie—to make sure she follows the destiny she is meant to. Watch her on the streets, watch her in the corridors, watch her on her travels, watch her as she makes friends and watch her as she falls in love. Teach her that there is good and honesty left in the world and when it is time we will return to fight Mella's reign."

"How will you find us?" Scardavia asked, glancing from Timothy to Charlotte and then back again. "If we are successful then Ellie could have reached adulthood before we need to reunite."

"I'll find you." Freya said simply, sadly. "When the time comes, I will find you all."

_~XC021~_

_Present Day_

_Freya POV_

I carefully sipped my tea whilst watching Albus, Gen and Lauren from the doorway. There they were, the son of the famous boy hero, the selective mute and the young Ryder who until yesterday had been motherless. They were the warnings and now was the time.

Charlotte slipped pasted me, kissing my cheek as she went to sit beside Ellie. They all looked so happy but I couldn't celebrate with them, I couldn't be that blissfully ignorant. And as they talked about weddings and baby showers and moving house, I was already trying to locate Joreth in my mind. After I had found him, I would go.

"This is it, Freya." I whispered to myself. "Welcome to the reign of flame."

**Well it's almost D-Day guys! All secrets eventually have to come out and people may not like them! And which pact will win? Find out soon and in the meantime,**

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	27. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**I know, I know, its been a while but we're nearing the big exam period and that has to take priority. So anyway, not long left now, enjoy!**

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter 27. Something Wicked This Way Comes~**

_Ellie POV_

It had been a rough night. First I had been woken by a bought of morning sickness and then the twins had started kicking like crazy. All in all I hadn't gotten much sleep and the commotion downstairs wasn't doing me any favours. I pushed myself up and noticed that George was no longer in the bed. I frowned at the yelling I could here as I pulled on some loose fitting clothes and tiptoed down the stairs.

I pulled my wand from my back pocket, not trusting myself to use any fire whilst being pregnant. The shouting was even louder at close proximity and I instantly recognised the voice who was talking—Riley.

"Come on, let me help her."

"She's not going anywhere with you." I heard Charlotte scream at my sister.

"She needs help and you know it. _I'm_ the only one who can help her properly."

"Riley," George said calmly. "I know you want to help but you have to understand that Ellie can't go wandering off with you right now. She's pregnant, Riley, we're just taking precautions."

"There is barely anything preventing my mother getting her hands on Ellie. She doesn't care about the pregnancy in fact she'd be a lot happier if Ellie was no longer pregnant…if you know what I mean."

My hand instantly covered my stomach as I shook the image of my mother from my mind. Riley was continuing on her rampage, yelling about how much of a risk I was and how much trouble we'd all be in if my mother was able to manipulate me. I tucked my wand back into my pocket and pushed open the door.

"Then you kill me." I said and all heads turned in my direction. "I'm a lot stronger than I used to be and I can contain it but if Mella ever managed to control me then there's no telling how many people I could murder. You have to kill me, it's the only way."

Riley pursed her lips and tilted her head towards mine. "Fine."

"NO! Honestly the two of you are insufferable sometimes. I am never going to let that happen, you understand? I've got it all under control."

The contents of the room shook dangerously with Charlotte's overwhelming power, her eyes brightening to a wild blue. Fred lightly rested his hand on her shoulder which calmed her a little but not enough for her to lift her deadly gaze from me and my sister.

"Your time is running out." Riley shrugged. "You have months left, destiny is coming for you and you can't escape it. Just ask Freya, you can't run from death can you, sweetie? If you don't let me help then this wonderful little fantasy world is going to come raining down on you."

"Thank you, Riley, for the great confidence you instill in me about my life." I said sarcastically. "You really help me to sleep at night."

"Next time I visit, I'm not going to be so…polite." She turned to apparate and then stopped as if she had an afterthought. "Oh and by the way, you should look out for Lauren she is one loose cannon."

Then she was gone and Charlotte angrily ran a hand through her hair. Freya, obviously shaken, made her excuses to go and check on Lauren whilst I went to grab a drink from the kitchen.

"Ellie." Charlotte called after me, just before I reached the door. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to—I knew exactly what was worrying her.

"It's okay, really." I murmured tiredly. "I've trusted you with my life since we were ten years old, I'm not going to stop now. You're doing it for the best, whatever _it_ may be."

_~XC021~_

_Lauren POV_

My ears were ringing when I woke up, my heart pounding louder than humanly possible. I turned over and saw Magenta sitting upright, staring straight at me. Everyone else in the room was asleep.

"You had a nightmare too?" I asked, knowing the answer before she had even nodded her head. "Do you think Al had the same dream?"

She hopped off of the bed and wrapped a blanket around her. "Lets go ask him." She whispered into the darkness.

I shrugged on a hoodie, tiptoed out of the room and pulled open the door. We hadn't even crossed the hall before we bumped into Albus who looked just as bad as the rest of us.

"Same dream?" He said, seeing the expression on both our faces.

"Yeah." I crossed my arms and looked down at my feet. "I have to go, don't I?"

Gen shook her head. "No. _We_ have to go. Tonight."

Albus groaned. "You think the three of us can face off a guy like Joreth?"

"I'm not letting Lauren go alone. She's not facing her dad alone, I going with her, so either you're in or you're out."

He gave her a hard stare, squinting his eyes as if trying to decipher her. "Fine, I'm in but we have to leave some sort of sign for our parents so they can find us when they wake up. I'm going to get changed, we'll meet in a half hour okay?"

We nodded and headed back to the room, quietly pulling on some clothes and stuffing our wands and a few knives into our pockets.

"You know he's doing this for you, right." I whispered as I tucked a blade into my boot.

"What? Don't be weird, Lauren."

I laughed. "You're not related. He wants to look after you and you let him in. It's the making for a perfect relationship."

"I don't choose who I can talk to, Lauren, it just happens." She picked up a necklace that Ellie had given to her when she was younger and left the room.

"Goodbye, safe haven. Its been nice living in your company." I muttered before I too left the room, unsure as to whether I would ever return.

_Ellie POV_

Freya ran back into the room, her eyes dark with fury. "They've gone."

I groaned, partly because the twins were kicking and partly because I knew exactly what she was going to say next. "Who's missing?"

"Albus, Magenta and Lauren and we all know where they've gone, don't we."

Charlotte rubbed her head and exhaled deeply. "They've gone to Joreth."

"I won't let him kill her. I won't. It's time to end this." She had already grabbed one of Charlotte's bags and was throwing an array of objects into it.

"Wait, slow down just a second. We can't just go storming in, Joreth is a very dangerous man—the Naorta have been tracking him for years."

Freya swivelled her gaze onto me. "We don't have time to lose."

"We have enough time to plan this. Gen and Lauren have enough training to keep all three of them alive, I wouldn't be here if I didn't think they could."

_Lauren POV_

The corridors of Lakewood were pitch black and if Magenta hadn't lit up her fingers then we would have been stumbling loudly over the uneven floors. She wasn't strictly speaking a Corem so she couldn't produce fire like the others but being born to Riley meant that she developed some useful abilities. Guided by the warm yellow light, we climbed further up the deserted building, each of us instinctively knowing that the Wizard's Chair rested on the top floor.

When we got to the doorway we heard voices, quiet whispers hissing instructions back and forth. I didn't hesitate when knocking. The dream had led us here and I needed to be here if I was going to save everyone else.

"Lauren." Joreth sighed, opening the door. "You came…and you brought friends."

"Yes I did." I said confidently.

"Yeah, well they need to go. We don't have long, Lauren."

Magenta folded her arms over her chest. "We're not leaving her alone, if there's going to be a fight then we're fighting with her."

"There's not going to be a fight." He looked different from how I remembered and then I knew what it was. He looked nervous.

"Oh isn't there, Joreth?" Footsteps echoed down the halls, lots of them, and soon a whole cluster of people unfolded out into the hall. I recognised them—they called themselves the new Death Eaters.

Albus shifted slightly, preparing himself for a fight. Gen did the same, hand poised at her back pocket. I looked up at my dad and levelled my gaze with his. The whispers, I realised now, weren't from the other side of that door, they were from Joreth's head and as he turned to look at his minions, a single thought entered my mine. _Run._

I ran and they followed, pulling out their wands and firing a stream of curses at the crowd behind us. We kept pushing forward, Albus at the back deflecting the blows whilst Gen kept us going forwards, running faster than the two of us. I dropped to the side as a section of the wall blasted out, using my arm to shield my face from the shrapnel. A hand reached out for me and I whipped around, grabbed it and twisted it upwards until I heard a snapping sound. Then I drove my knee into the gut of my attacker and slammed my fist into his temple. When he dropped I turned back in the direction of my friends and jogged to catch up with them.

All of a sudden Magenta stopped short and then I saw why. Somehow the attackers had found a way in front of us and we were trapped, surrounded on all sides. I looked up, I could break through the ceiling or I could punch a hole through the ground. If I had the power I could get them out. I could—

Before I knew what was happening, multiple arms grabbed onto me and pulled me to my knees. They did the same with Albus, brutally kicking him to the ground and then they turned to Gen. I couldn't hear them over the sound of my own heartbeat but I knew something bad was happening. Something silver cut through the darkness and before the scream had even reached my lips, a knife was brought down into Magenta's chest, angled perfectly to pierce her heart.

**Yes, I know I'm cruel but you love me all the same. What will happen next? Is it too late to save Gen? Will Ellie and the others get there in time to rescue Lauren? Find out soon and in the meantime…**

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**Ella Bella xx**


	28. Water Will Fall

****Okay so the adventure is almost coming to an end, isn't it sad. Just a few more to go for Wave of Water!****

****Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I own my OCs.****

**~Chapter w28. Water Will Fall~**

_Lauren POV_

Magenta was dead. Magenta was dead because of me. She was dead. She was dead. She was dead. She was just lying there in the corridor, killed instantly, too much blood staining her shirt. I had to bite down on my tongue to stop from screaming. I wanted to be sick and maybe that would make me feel better, maybe that would get rid of the horrid feeling I had floating in my stomach.

Albus looked up at me, tears already streaming down his face, making blotchy red tracks down his cheeks. And then I knew what I had to do. I had to get him out of here so that he could take Gen home, so that the two of them didn't remain up here unfound. I closed my eyes, trying to reach out to his mind the same way that I did when I was dreaming. Power rushed through my veins, the magic of the ruby, guiding me through the web of thoughts so that I could implant one simple message.

_Stay where you are. When I'm gone, you get her out, take her home. _

Before he could even move to stop me, I was twisting my body away from his grip, using my weight to loosen the hold on my wrist. Once one hand was free, I spun up to my feet and landed a solid punch on the man's face. I jerked my knee up, felt a satisfying impact and then ran, leading the attackers away. As I whipped my head back around, I could see that they had let go of Albus, just as I had hoped.

"Just hold on." He screamed and I smiled back at him. It didn't matter whether or not I held on—Albus would get out alive and Magenta would be laid to rest. I was ready to die.

_Ellie POV_

I halted the group as soon as we reached the main entrance of Lakewood.

"Something feels wrong."

"I agree." Charlotte nodded.

"If by wrong, you mean it stinks of death then yes, something is definitely wrong here." Freya said, striding forward and raising a hand to blast the double doors off of their hinges.

"I thought you said you weren't feeling as strong as you used to." I frowned.

"I may not be prophetic anymore but I'm still a Ryder, I'm more powerful than your average witch." She was about to step over the threshold into the building but Emephile cut across her.

"Nice try, Corem, I'm not completely stupid. Really, Ellie, seriously, you're going to waltz in there whilst you're pregnant?" My colleague glared at me.

I ran a hand through my hair and gave her an exasperated look. "I've had this conversation with Charlotte already. I'm not going anywhere near the action, I'm here to make sure the kids are alright and once I've done that I'll wait outside. Happy?"

I followed Freya into the building and let her lead the way around the familiar place. The smallest amount of warmth trickled into my hand but I was careful to keep the flames out of my eyes. George glanced quickly at me and I knew he was worried about the babies but I wasn't going to let anyone hurt them. Using the heat in my body I tried to locate Magenta but I could feel nothing. Dread washed over me. Something was definitely wrong.

_Albus POV_

Things were beginning to look very familiar, like I had lived it before. I had lived it before. It was a place I had visited in a dream months ago, when I had first arrived at Hogwarts. The dream showed me the way through the building. It pulled me past a room where I could hear Lauren's screams. I paused for just a moment and I could see her dropping to her knees in front of the Wizard's Chair. I knew what happened next, the dream taught me that but at the same time I owed it to Magenta to get her home.

The second I saw the bright light of a wand I felt relief wash over me and then immediately after that I felt guilt. Looming up in front of me were my parents, along with my aunts and uncles. And suddenly I couldn't take any more of it, I couldn't hold on. I fell to my knees.

_Ellie POV_

"Albus." Ginny breathed, running towards her son. "Oh God." She whispered.

He was a broken mess on the floor, clutching at Magenta like his life depended on it. I took a few steps towards him and crouched down beside my niece.

"I'm sorry." He muttered through the tears. "I'm so sorry."

I placed my hand lightly on his arm. "It's okay, Albus, this isn't your fault."

"Lauren told me I needed to get her home."

"And you did a good job. It's okay, you can give her here."

His grip on Gen loosened and I pulled her up into my arms. She wasn't yet cold, the faintest trickle of heat still running through her veins. She wasn't beyond saving. We had defence mechanisms, ways of absorbing heat to heal our bodies but it wouldn't last for long.

"Is she…" Charlotte trailed off.

"No. Not yet but if I don't get her home then I can't help her." I stood up. "Good luck with Joreth, call if there's any trouble." I kissed George quickly. "Be careful."

_Freya POV_

I could feel Joreth. His mind was as familiar to me now as it was the day I died. He was close. I made my way up to the top of the building, trying to shut off the screams that I could hear. Ginny and Harry had stayed downstairs to watch over their grieving son but our group was still a formidable force: two witches with extraordinary powers, four people who had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and one extremely powerful Naorta. We could take down Joreth but a part of me wished we didn't have to.

I knew immediately which door Lauren lay behind and apparently so did Charlotte because she kicked the door down, no questions asked. And there she was, tied to the chair bleeding out from several lacerations on her arms. However, instead of Joreth standing there, wielding a knife, there was another unrecognisable man. I shifted my gaze to the corner of the room where my husband and potential murderer sat bound. He steadily met my glare, not a hint of shock on his face. Instead he gave me a warning, a look in his eyes that said _danger_ and then sprang into action.

In the same moment that he leapt to his feet, I dodged a _cruciatus_ curse aimed at my back. Entering the room were a flock of witches and wizards who called themselves the New Death Eaters. I flicked my wrist as one of them came towards me, watching as he fell to the ground. Charlotte was busy blasting them jets of water whilst Fred, George and the others were firing curses with deadly precision. I pushed out with my mind, slowing the speed of the offence so that I could think without getting hurt.

I had to be careful. If I didn't remove her from the chair correctly she would die. The power of the ruby was mixed with her blood so as she bled, the chair was filling with magic but by now they were connected so the chair was both killing her and keeping her alive. She wasn't screaming anymore. She didn't have long left.

Before I had even finished formulating a plan I felt a light pressure on my hand. I snapped back to attention and looked down, seeing Joreth's hand wrapped around my own. I didn't resist him, strangely enough I still trusted him so I let myself get pulled towards the chair.

"You were bound." I said simply.

"I can never be bound, Freya. Strategy is everything." He didn't meet my eyes. "You need to break the connection with your mind."

"I'll break her mind. I'm too strong, Joreth, you've got to do it." He didn't look convinced. "Please."

He reached out a hand to Lauren's forehead and the power he emitted hit me immediately. I turned away, forgetting that I couldn't physically shield myself from a mental onslaught.

Emephile and Charlotte were a force to be reckoned with, cutting down every attacker in sight. It was only then that I noticed how out of control Charlotte's powers were. There was a lot of water, some threw the Death Eaters off their feet and some drowned them but there was still a lot more than necessary, sloshing against the wall. It was sparking as well, a hint of electricity running through the liquid and delivering deadly blows to any skin that it contacted. Not only was she getting stronger, new powers were developing and she didn't even know.

Lauren let out a cry and I turned back around to her. I moved forward to lift her up into my arms, able to carry her now that she wasn't connected to the chair. She was still breathing, still living, just drained. I slowly spun back around to thank Joreth but he was already being detained by Emephile and Charlotte. All the other attackers had been slaughtered.

"Mum." Lauren murmured. "Put me down."

"You're too weak to stand right now."

"Then let me sit, I want to see what's going on."

I did as she asked and lowered her to the ground. She shifted until she was comfortable and watched the scene unfold with tired eyes.

"Joreth Jettison, you are under arrest for the suspected murder of Freya Ryder and the attempted murder of Lauren Jettison-Ryder. You are now under the custody of the Naorta Compound." Emephile said clearly.

"Do I have the right to remain silent?" He said sarcastically.

"Joreth." I hissed. "Behave, please."

Charlotte leaned back against the door-frame "Is there anything you can say to justify what you tried to do to my family?"

"Well," he purred, "I guess I do have one last story to tell."

_Charlotte POV_

The minute he started speaking, I felt electricity spark in my veins and that was before he started lying.

"Liar." I spat. "That's _not_ true."

"Say it again."

I shot Freya a dark glare. "What's wrong with you?"

She shared a brief look with Joreth. "I'm just trying to digest what he's suggesting, there's no harm in that."

"There's harm if you believe it. You don't believe it do you? He's lying."

My sister didn't say anything just absently stroked the hair of her daughter so Joreth started speaking again, never once taking his eyes off of Freya.

"When Freya was pregnant we were happy, incredibly naïve but happy and excited. I tried to be as helpful and supportive as possible and I tried to look after her as best I could. And then one day it all changed and someone spoke to me and told me that if I didn't get rid of the baby then they would kill Freya. I panicked. I did horrible things but still she wouldn't get rid of the baby or give her up for adoption. I was forced to take desperate measures and I didn't want to but it was Freya or the baby and I chose Freya."

"You wanted to kill me." Lauren whispered.

"People were going to kill the both of you. The original plan wasn't to kill you, it was to move you somewhere safe and untraceable but plans change, I had people on my back."

"What people?" I glared at him.

Joreth didn't answer. Freya sighed and gave him an encouraging look. "Who was it?" She said gently as if his feelings needed to be spared. I don't know why she insisted on treating him like he was the fragile one. "It's okay, we can handle it."

"Sofia. It was Sofia who told me that I had to kill the baby and I didn't know it at the time but she had people tailing you too, Freya. She wanted you both dead and I had no idea why but I thought that without a baby it would be easier to run away and hide from her."

Electricity spiralled down my spine and a small ball of water rested in my now open palm. "No."

"I'm sorry."

My mum had problems, I knew that but she didn't want my sister dead—she loved my sister. "She wouldn't do that, mum wouldn't do that."

"He's telling the truth, Charlotte, he's not lying to you. I can sense it."

"NO!"

Something inside me slipped, like a dam breaking under the pressure of the sea. I could feel the pipes above twist and creak before they gave way completely and water started to spurt from the ceiling. Freya had already hauled her daughter to her feet and was desperately trying to prevent the ceiling caving in. I wanted to make it stop, to resist the strong pull of the water but I couldn't.

Fred reached out a hand. "Charlotte are you—" He stopped suddenly, retracting his hand as soon as he touched me, trying to hide that he was wincing.

"It's not her fault, she's not in control. Let's just try to leave before we get crushed underneath a building." Freya said nervously, obviously uncomfortable being in an unstable building.

"What do we do with him?" Emephile nodded at Joreth.

"We take him with us. Be quick, please."

After that I don't remember much, it was like a curtain had come down over my mind. I just felt the sparks in my veins and water rushing out of my palms. I could feel the liquid cascading from the ceiling and flooding the room. There was something else too, bright white light flashing against the wave of water I was creating. The last thing I remembered though was the look on all of their faces as we escaped from the collapsing building, that look of disgust and pity and concern all at the same time.

**Sorry the ending is so rushed! Ooh, a lot of drama in this chapter! Until the next time guys:**

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**Ella Bells xx**


	29. I'm glad I crashed the wedding

**This is the end! Will there be a happy ending? Only one way to find out!**

**~Chapter 29. I'm glad I crashed the wedding~**

_Ellie POV_

The entire group of them came home soaking wet and very quiet. Emephile decided to detain Joreth in the drawing room until we came to an agreement about what to do with him, eager to leave the awkward atmosphere. Charlotte also left quickly, saying that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. I frowned. Something was definitely up.

"Is Gen okay?" Freya asked before I could find out what was wrong with Charlotte.

"I don't know. I called Rizzo and Jess over; Jess to fill her body with fire to repair most of the damage and Rizzo to treat the wound but they haven't left the room in about an hour."

"But she'll live?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Probably."

George took my hand and gave it a squeeze, pulling me towards the living room so I could lean against him on the sofa. I turned my head to Fred who looked positively shaken. "What happened?"

Fred recounted the events of the past few hours, quickly skimming over the part where Charlotte lost control.

"That's never happened before, has it?" Freya said with a frown.

"No but her powers were always unusual. Most people develop stuff like that from birth, not aged seventeen. Hang on." I fished out my wand and muttered a summoning spell under my breath. A large book floated into my hand.

"Is that a family history book?" Freya grinned slightly. "It is, I remember mum used to make me memorise a different section every day."

I flicked through till I found the page I wanted. "This is their family tree with every possible combination of extraordinary powers written in. If you look you can see that in the Ryder family their magic has been getting stronger in every generation."

"Other Ryders have power over water?"

"Not quite." I began. "Most have power over the mind and prophecy but every now and then there are those who can control one of the four elements—excluding fire obviously." I traced my finger down the line of Charlotte's ancestors and then stopped, frowning.

Freya looked at me with concern. "What is it?"

"The line of Ryders with elemental powers always ends at the third generation." I flicked forward a few pages. "Every third generation witch has been unable to bear children. There's a note from Catherine, it says: 'by the time elemental powers reach a third witch or indeed wizard in the Ryder line, the magic is almost overwhelming. In this case a female Ryder would bear no successor as the electrical powers developed in this generation would instantly kill an unborn child. Furthermore a person with elemental powers can only grow in strength and therefore the magic they possess must be carefully monitored and controlled."

Fred leaned forward. "What does that mean for Charlotte?"

"It means that her powers are getting stronger every day and most powers are controlled primarily by emotions, which is why when she got angry she completely lost control. It also explains why Charlotte can't have children...but that's never bothered her so it's not the big problem here."

"So how do we prevent that from happening every time she gets angry? The water part isn't so bad but the electricity is dangerous, she could hurt someone without even realising."

"We train her to control the electricity in the same way that she controls the water. She starts from the beginning and keeps doing the basics until she gets it."

Freya sighed. "The same way that some parents train children whose magic comes on too quickly."

I shrugged. "It's effective."

At that moment Rizzo slipped into the room, half-smiling at me with tired eyes. "We've done all we can."

"Do you think she's going to be alright?" I asked.

"She'll live," Rizzo brushed the hair out of her eyes, "but I don't know if she'll be okay. She won't be getting out of that bed for weeks and I have no idea what the psychological impact will be. Chances are a selective mute won't cope well with being stabbed in the chest."

_Magenta POV_

I tried to turn over, wincing at the pain that immediately shot through my body.

"You might not want to do that." Lauren's voice rang out and then just kept on ringing and echoing in my head.

"Where…where…" I gave up trying to speak, my voice just a raspy mess.

"You've been through a really bad trauma so speaking might be a little difficult right now." She said gently. "Actually there are a lot of things that might be difficult right now but it'll get easier."

"It hurts." I managed to choke out.

"You're okay." It was Al's voice this time. "I can get you more painkillers if you need it."

"No." I swallowed hard and tried to speak again. "I want you to stay."

A hand took hold of my own, giving it a comforting squeeze whilst I tried to get settled on my bed but I couldn't, I could barely move. Everything ached and where it didn't ache I couldn't feel anything.

"Am I paralysed?" I croaked.

"No! No, no, you're not paralysed but to revive you we had to fill your body with fire and force it to repair itself and people tell me that it isn't a pleasant experience." Lauren said reassuringly.

"I feel paralysed. Are you lying to me, Lauren?" I licked my dry lips. "I can take it; you can tell me the truth."

"It's not paralysis—if a brick fell on your leg you'd feel it. The fire binds itself to your muscles and bones so everything will either feel painful or numb and you won't be able to move at all." Albus gently stroked my cheek with his free hand. "You'll be able to move again in a few days, weeks max."

The words sunk in. Al was being optimistic, I was going to be stuck in this bed for weeks, barely able to function properly. On the other-hand at least I was alive.

"Well you better be keeping me company."

_Freya POV_

Joreth was just sitting in the room alone, not handcuffed but unable to use magic or leave. He was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed but obviously not sleeping. He looked up when I entered but stayed where he was.

"I really wish you wouldn't look like that, like the life has been sucked from you."

"I'm about to go to jail for the murder of my wife and the attempted murder of my daughter. How would you feel?"

"You were telling the truth weren't you? About my mum?"

He sighed. "I wouldn't lie about something like that. I _know_ that the last memory you had of me was an awful one but I wouldn't lie about your mother."

"Then you don't have to go to jail." I took a few steps forward. "It wasn't your fault, Joreth. Besides, Emephile has clearance, she can sort all of this out for us."

"I have free will, I _chose_ to do what I did, I _chose_ to try and kill you." He said, moving away from me.

I sighed, leaning against a chair. "You didn't kill me." I relayed the same story to Joreth as I did to my sister. "You _didn't _kill me and you _tried_ to save Lauren—that counts for a lot."

He groaned. "What do you want from me, Freya, because I don't think I can give it to you. I'm still the enemy, you can't wave your wand and make everything better."

I closed the gap between us while Joreth attempted to back up as far as possible. "I want you to stay and try to make things work for us, all three of us. Fighting for this family will be your redemption."

"Why? Because it's your redemption? You think by saving me you can somehow save yourself?" There was barely any space between us. "It doesn't work that way, Freya, you can't make me good."

"No, I can't but I believe in you and I know that you can do this. I need you to do this, for me."

He reached out a hand to touch mine but shied away at the last moment. "I guess I can try."

I closed the gap between us and kissed him, my hands pressed lightly against his chest. It felt like before, back when we were young and in love and there were no evil mothers trying to keep us apart. It was easy to forget that this man had tried to hurt me and my daughter. It was easy to forget because it had been so many years since I had ever been loved and years since anyone had held me like I needed to be loved.

_Charlotte POV_

I lay awake in bed for hours, just staring at the ceiling and trying to get my breathing back to normal. My head was spinning. I felt weak, like my body had decided that it had done enough work for the day.

There was a sharp knock on the door and then Fred's voice—I didn't respond. He sighed and walked in anyway, sitting on the bed beside me. For a brief second I felt the need to cover up—I'd removed most of my clothes in order to dry off—he wouldn't want to touch me after what happened earlier. He must have sensed my brief nervousness because he slid up next to me and held my hand.

"You sure you want to do that?" I muttered.

"Yes, of course I'm sure, I love you." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "What happened this morning wasn't your fault, Charlotte, you were under a lot of pressure."

"I flooded an entire building!" I gulped and then whispered. "I _hurt _you."

"You gave me an electric shock. I'm okay."

"It could have been more than that." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

Fred put his hand on my waist and pulled me onto my side so I was facing him. "I'm not accepting your apology because you have _nothing_ to apologise for."

I bit down on my bottom lip and closed my eyes, trying not to completely break down in front of him. "Sometimes I look at Freya and Ellie and wonder if I'd have made a good mother. I never wanted to be one or at least I didn't think I did. Do you remember? I was sixteen when they told me that I'm not baby carrying material and at the time it didn't bother me at all and most days it doesn't but seeing Freya with Lauren and Ellie with Rizzo, I just wonder if I'm missing out."

He closed his hands over mine. "You _are_ a mother, Charlotte. You've been looking after Lauren since she was weeks old and you've been watching over Ellie since you were kids, you're a mother, with or without your own child."

"I would have wanted a son, weirdly enough. Actually, I think that's because if I had a girl, Ellie would've insisted on the child being named after her."

Fred grinned widely. "I don't think having a son would change that. We would have a son named Ellie or Anna or, at best, Grayson."

"Grayson's actually a cute name." I smiled sadly. "Grayson Ryder." Fred cleared his throat. "Fine, Weasley Ryder."

He kissed me again. "You know it's not too late to adopt a kid, if you decide it's what you want." He drew me even closer. "Although you're going to be awfully busy trying to plan a wedding over the next few months."

I leaned up slightly. "What did you just say?"

"I said adoption is always an option if it's what you want because that's totally okay with me too and—"

"—No after that." I cut him off, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh I said you've got a wedding to plan, you know, because the wedding is August 5th."

I kissed him quickly. "We're getting married?" I exclaimed. "Oh my god, we're actually getting married."

"Wedding date set, talking about having kids—we've come a long way since engagement rings made out of burns and drinking in a tent." He beamed.

"I think that's what they call growing up."

_~XC021~_

_A few months later_

_Ellie POV_

I was getting to a point where being pregnant was extremely uncomfortable and everyone rushing around wasn't making my life any easier. The wedding was the following day and the house was a hectic mess of wedding preparations and things left over from the baby shower. I didn't move from my place by the kitchen counter, too pregnant to be bothered with walking around.

"You need to get up and help out." Charlotte grumbled, bustling in with her wedding folder.

"I don't see you forcing Gen to move." I nodded over to Magenta, Lauren and Albus who were gathered in the corner of the room.

"Gen is still recovering from a trauma, you're just pregnant."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Just pregnant?"

George groaned and shot her an unimpressed look. "Oh you had to go there."

"Just pregnant? Being seven months pregnant is extremely uncomfortable."

"We know." George said gently. He pressed a kiss to my baby bump. "You're doing a good job."

Charlotte rolled her eyes at us. "I'm going to speak to Riz, she might actually help me with the wedding."

"Good luck with that." I called after her as she left the room. "Being lazy runs in the family."

_~XC021~_

_Charlotte POV_

I don't know what I was expecting when I walked around the white stone path to the courtyard but what I imagined would never have lived up to the real thing. Freya and Ellie had done an amazing job with the venue, little red flowers winding their way up the pillars and showering the ground with petals that turned gold on contact. Gold tinted pebbles line the path which opened out into a huge mosaic tiled courtyard. Red silk was strung from pillar to pillar, creating a canopy for the guests.

From my concealed position I could still see the guests finding their way to their seats and ahead of them, Fred and George standing at the other end of the aisle, laughing about something. Both of them were wearing black satin suits, Fred with a gold handkerchief tucked into his pocket and George with a red one. I smiled slightly to myself.

Standing in a corner with my dad were Freya, Ellie and Lauren—my three bridesmaids. Freya waved me over, gleaming in her floor-length crimson dress that had bands of gold running around the hip.

"I look huge." Ellie complained to Dad, rubbing her stomach like she was experiencing some sort of discomfort. "People are going to think that _I'm _the one who needs to get married."

Dad chuckled throatily, then saw me and beamed. "You look radiant, Charlotte."

"Thanks." I said, giving him a tight hug to stop myself from shaking with nervousness.

I hadn't seen my dad in years—he'd moved to Ireland when he divorced Mum and I'd never made much of an effort to keep in contact. He looked the same though, slightly round in the stomach, always grinning and a glint in his eyes that said he was up to no good. At first I hadn't been sure whether or not to invite him but seeing him and having him hold me and reassure me, made all of the awkwardness disappear.

"It's show-time." Freya whispered as the music began. She quickly kissed Dad on the cheek and shuffled into place. "Smile, Charlotte, you've been waiting for this day since you were seventeen years old."

All I couldn't think about whilst walking down the aisle was how attractive Fred looked. He was so handsome, with those green flecked cobalt blue eyes and light smattering of freckles along the bridge of his nose. And suddenly I was standing in front of him, smiling up at him slightly shy eyes.

"There are so many people." I mouthed. "I don't think I'm related to any of them."

"I think most of these people are here to see me. I am very handsome."

I covered my laugh with a cough. I was marrying Fred. I don't think there'll ever be a day when I forget how lucky I am.

_Freya POV_

Charlotte looked absolutely amazing in her wedding dress and it kind of made me regret that I didn't ever get married. She was wearing a figure hugging piece with a ruffled mermaid tail and slight detailing around the waist. Her hair was braided around the back and then gathered together in a cluster of dark ringlets. She had always been a pretty girl; she'd inherited a good balance of our grandmother's delicate features and our mother's sharp, angular bone structure.

Joreth returned to my side with a couple of drinks in his hand. He bent down to kiss me and then offered me the glass.

"This better not be alcoholic." I said, taking the glass.

"It's not, checked it myself." He took a sip of his own drink. "I'm surprised that Charlotte let me in."

"She loves me so she'll try to love you too. Plus she'll never hate you as much as she hates our mother."

"That's not very reassuring."

I took the drink from his hand and placed it next to mine on a table. I interlinked my fingers with his. "Dance?"

He pulled a face. "Do I have to?"

"You know you're allowed to have fun right? It's a wedding, enjoy yourself."

He pulled me closer in one swift movement, his hands grazing my lower back and then my hips. His lips moved against my neck, his right hand tickling my waist.

"Stop it." I giggled. "Stop it, Joreth, we're in public."

He traced kisses down my jawline and squeezed my body tight to his. "What?" He murmured between each touch. "I'm having fun."

_Charlotte POV_

I don't know why I felt so tired all of a sudden but it came on in one fast wave, almost as if there was some supernatural cause behind it. The world around me began to blur and my first thought was that I was losing control again but then I didn't feel my powers slipping like I had before. And then I saw the smoke, swirling along the ground and rising up in a way that was almost dizzying. I should have been choking on it, it should have hurt but it was too calming and peaceful. I had one last thought before I fell asleep: Riley.

_Ellie POV_

I had long since grown immune to Riley's powers so I spent a few hours waiting for Charlotte, Fred and George to wake up. All of the other wedding guests had deliriously left the venue, guided home by the smoke. Riley had told me how it worked; people would wake up with a hangover but wouldn't remember the smoke. I don't know how she managed to add hallucinogenic properties to her power but I didn't particularly want to question it.

Our conversation floated over and over in my head, the words wrapping around my mind. I tried not to think about what she had said; I didn't want to think about a decision like that on the night of my best friend's wedding. She had been so sure, so certain of our destinies, my destiny. She had changed everything, those few words, that whispered choice had thrown my entire life off course. _No, it just redirected your life to where it was supposed to be._ I gently touched my stomach, waiting for that familiar kick.

Maybe I was wrong, maybe I already knew my decision.

As Charlotte stirred, I felt a distinct and sharp pain in my stomach. I frowned. They couldn't possibly be contractions—it was too early for me to be going into labour. Charlotte was the first to sit up and then George and finally Fred. For a few moments they just looked confused and then they noticed me doubled up in pain.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte immediately sobered up and made her way towards me. "Are you having contractions?"

They were lasting too long to be contractions and the pain didn't feel the same as I remembered either. One minute there was just a little pain and then my stomach felt like it was on fire. A dizzy spell came over me and I stumbled forward slightly but George was already by my side, holding me up.

He looked down. "You're bleeding."

Tears began to stream down my face and suddenly I was crying hysterically, gasping for air. I was bleeding. I had changed into a pair of comfortable trousers and a large top to pass the time and now the trousers were stained with blood. I kept gulping, trying to get some air into my lungs, trying to alleviate the pain, trying and trying but never getting anywhere.

"They aren't contractions. They don't feel like contractions." I cried out. "It hurts."

I kept waiting for a kick, for just a little movement, something to let me know that they were both okay but nothing happened. This couldn't be happening to me, not so far into the pregnancy, not now. There was no movement. None. Earlier they had been kicking, that was the reason why I didn't do much dancing, they had been kicking like crazy but now there was nothing at all.

"George, there's too much blood." Charlotte whispered quietly. "We need to get her to hospital now."

There was another, sharp intense pain, more painful that the last and then a strange numbing sensation spreading across my brain. Everything started to blur into each other and a high pitched ringing started in my ears.

"My babies," I rasped, barely able to hear myself speak, "I think they're dead."

**Cue dramatic music. What is wrong with Ellie? Will she be okay? And yes, I had to be cryptic about Riley's visit for reasons you will find out later. **

**Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed and kept up with the story! I really hope you stay tuned for the final installment of the Flight of Fire Trilogy! Reign of Flame will be up soon! Until the next time:**

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**Ella Bells xx**


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